variants
or cataclysmic
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a cataclysmal decision to plunge the nation into war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a cataclysmal landslide that virtually wiped out the village
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cataclysmal
Each nova explosion triggers a dramatic surge in T CrB's apparent brightness, as radiation cast out in the cataclysmic event finally reaches us, having spent approximately 3,000 years racing through the near-perfect vacuum of space.
—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
23 June 2026
This has been a cataclysmic failure of his making.
—
NBC news,
21 June 2026
Amend and extend The situation in private credit has, so far, been a sort of slow-moving train wreck as opposed to a cataclysmic derailing.
—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
That world ended in cataclysmic war, the one that claimed the life of Alfred Louis Webb and so many others.
—
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
While the Zizian ideology is extremist in nature, a less extreme version of the same fears surrounding the cataclysmic potential of AI are a common concern among AI alignment experts, machine-learning engineers, and even frontier AI companies.
—
Daniel Boguslaw,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2026
The relative inertia in the January transfer market was very nearly a cataclysmic mistake, as was the installation of Igor Tudor.
—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Characteristically, Czernowin’s control of timbre, texture, and structure yields a kind of cataclysmic grandeur.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
By early June, ash and lava were escaping Pinatubo’s flanks, and an evacuation was ordered, just a few days before the cataclysmic hammer fell.
—
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
23 June 2026
This has been a cataclysmic failure of his making.
—
NBC news,
21 June 2026
Amend and extend The situation in private credit has, so far, been a sort of slow-moving train wreck as opposed to a cataclysmic derailing.
—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
That world ended in cataclysmic war, the one that claimed the life of Alfred Louis Webb and so many others.
—
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
While the Zizian ideology is extremist in nature, a less extreme version of the same fears surrounding the cataclysmic potential of AI are a common concern among AI alignment experts, machine-learning engineers, and even frontier AI companies.
—
Daniel Boguslaw,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2026
The relative inertia in the January transfer market was very nearly a cataclysmic mistake, as was the installation of Igor Tudor.
—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Characteristically, Czernowin’s control of timbre, texture, and structure yields a kind of cataclysmic grandeur.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
By early June, ash and lava were escaping Pinatubo’s flanks, and an evacuation was ordered, just a few days before the cataclysmic hammer fell.
—
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysmal
Adjective
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The loss of experience and military brainpower had disastrous consequences, especially in Russian lives lost, during the Winter War against Finland and the early stages of World War II against Nazi Germany.
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Some prominent Democrats are warning that Mamdani’s success could spell doom for their party in November, arguing that what works in New York City would be disastrous in the heartland.
Adjective
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The Battle of the Gullet proves devastating for the Blacks, even if the blockade remains intact.
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In 1876, at the Centennial, the United States was still recovering from a devastating Civil War.
Adjective
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Directed by Guadagnino from a screenplay by Saturday Night Live alum Simon Rich, Artificial explores Sam Altman’s OpenAI and the company’s turbulent period in 2023 when he was fired and rehired in a matter of days.
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The trauma of a turbulent household had aged her beyond her years.
Adjective
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The fatal attack came 16 days later.
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Detectives identified James Goodman, 39, and Devinae Mitchell, 26, both of Hercules, as suspects in the fatal shooting, police said.
Adjective
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Historically, the country has experienced destructive earthquakes, including the 1967 Caracas earthquake, which killed hundreds and caused severe damage in the capital.
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Since her passing, Sonoma County experienced the most destructive wildfires in California history in 2017, only for another, more destructive fire to surpass it a year later.
Adjective
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The injury was an unfortunate occurrence in his World Cup debut and could affect Sweden’s chances going forward.
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The mini-slump in Eugene coincides with the aforementioned downturn in Spokane to create an unfortunate stretch for college basketball in the Pacific Northwest.
Adjective
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More than half of the nearly 12 million population is experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger, the World Bank said, while social assistance programs reached fewer than one in 10 Haitians.
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America has been rushing into an artificial intelligence future without much of a plan to stop what could be catastrophic job losses.
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysmal. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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