cataclysmal

adjective

variants or cataclysmic
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune a cataclysmal decision to plunge the nation into war

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2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction a cataclysmal landslide that virtually wiped out the village

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3
as in turbulent
marked by sudden or violent disturbance the French Revolution was one of the great cataclysmal events in modern history

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cataclysmal The impact created the 120-mile-wide (190 km) Chicxulub crater in a cataclysmic event that drove mass extinctions across the planet, eliminating nearly three-quarters of the species that thrived on Earth until that time. — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Some of the most cataclysmic events in the cosmos, such as mergers of supermassive black holes, should produce a very specific gravitational wave signature, according to general relativity. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026 Several of the researchers who spoke to NBC News said that humans could leverage AI systems to inflict cataclysmic damage well before recursive self-improvement materializes. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2026 The diagnosis is cataclysmic, bringing Sandra’s career to an abrupt close. — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026 In 2026, how reasonable are fears that AI, either by escaping human control or through misuse by unscrupulous people, could cause a cataclysmic event or the downfall of civilization? — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 Rising global temperatures have made high-mountain areas across the globe more unstable—and the risks of cataclysmic events have increased. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026 The mountains above had unleashed a cataclysmic, deluge that swept 62 miles (100 km) downstream, killing hundreds and burying entire communities in the worst natural disaster to hit Nepal in years. — Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 The effect of the wealth consolidation carefully, and secretly, orchestrated by the SEC and Big 10 has been not catastrophic to those not in these respective leagues, but at least cataclysmic. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysmal
  1. disastrous
  2. devastating
  3. turbulent
  4. fatal
  5. destructive
  6. unfortunate
  7. catastrophic
Adjective
  • In part, this is a story about the short-term desperation of Republicans in the face of midterms that seem set to be disastrous.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Formed in the aftermath of a disastrous mountain war with China in 1962, the ITBP operates in some of the most inhospitable terrain on Earth.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • That status quo has been marked by a drumbeat of devastating fires in recent years and increasing worries about more in the future.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The moment when the couple’s infant child is taken from them by the authorities is devastating, each of them capturing a sense of helpless isolation from themselves, their community and each other.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • While introducing his new film, Gilroy praised the festival’s lineup as a bright spot amid an increasingly turbulent Hollywood landscape.
    — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Given today's turbulent prices, don't read too much into MSRPs for products like graphics cards in 2026.
    — Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of turbulent
Adjective
  • In 2006, a 45-year-old with a heart condition suffered a fatal heart attack while aboard the park's Goliath ride.
    — DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Mystery still surrounds the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Western Rust, an incident that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • Simon is expected to make landfall early tomorrow, bringing heavy rain, destructive waves and potentially life-threatening flooding and mudslides, according to the National Hurricane Center.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Hirose, who also writes and edits, has constructed a brilliantly volatile scenario, vulnerable to any number of potentially explosive and destructive dramatic developments.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of destructive
Adjective
  • Choosing the most abject—or unfortunate—car names will never not be funny.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The timing was unfortunate for Saudi Arabia, several experts say.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Writers in ancient Mesopotamia told several versions of a story in which the gods send a catastrophic flood but warn one man, who then builds a large boat to save his family and animals.
    — Eric Vanden Eykel, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The film stars Cruise as an aging oil tycoon whose drilling operations trigger a catastrophic climate change disaster.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophic

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Cite this Entry

“Cataclysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysmal. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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