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
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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
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Recent Examples of cataclysmal
The cataclysmic flood waters rushed through Camp Mystic before sunrise on July 4.
—
Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
This cataclysmic event would have melted and thoroughly mixed the entire planet, thereby resetting its chemical composition.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom — drawing in the ruthless kings of other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler — the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic and utterly magical new Norse saga.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
There's also the brute force approach, triggering chains of cataclysmic explosions to get the deconstruction rolling.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
One of them was Segar, his former coworker, who was in the middle of his workday and didn’t have the bandwidth to engage with Jon’s fantasies about a cataclysmic event.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
But that is how the future always feels during times of cataclysmic conflict.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
In the cataclysmic civil war at Kuru-kshetra, both the divine Pandava brothers and their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas, end up breaking the rules of war to achieve victory at any cost.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Twenty-one years is a long time to run a restaurant nightly, through the Great Recession of 2008, through vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests, through the COVID-19 epidemic, a cataclysmic event that caused tens of thousands of restaurants nationally to shut their doors for good.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
This cataclysmic event would have melted and thoroughly mixed the entire planet, thereby resetting its chemical composition.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom — drawing in the ruthless kings of other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler — the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic and utterly magical new Norse saga.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
There's also the brute force approach, triggering chains of cataclysmic explosions to get the deconstruction rolling.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
One of them was Segar, his former coworker, who was in the middle of his workday and didn’t have the bandwidth to engage with Jon’s fantasies about a cataclysmic event.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
But that is how the future always feels during times of cataclysmic conflict.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
In the cataclysmic civil war at Kuru-kshetra, both the divine Pandava brothers and their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas, end up breaking the rules of war to achieve victory at any cost.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Twenty-one years is a long time to run a restaurant nightly, through the Great Recession of 2008, through vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests, through the COVID-19 epidemic, a cataclysmic event that caused tens of thousands of restaurants nationally to shut their doors for good.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysmal
Adjective
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Since the election, Democrats have worked to recruit candidates and relay messaging with the goal of resonating with voters after a disastrous 2024.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Oct. 2025
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Report Despite a disastrous start to the season, the Ravens hope to turn around their fortunes by beating a Bears team on a four-game winning streak.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The loss was unexpected and devastating.—
Autumn Barnes,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Kamala Harris teases 2028 presidential run, devastating Dems’ chances!—
The Hill,
The Hill,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The emotional breakdown follows a turbulent few months for the artist.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
21 Oct. 2025
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At the other end, his turbulent participation in the 1976 exhibition New York-Downtown-Manhattan SoHo, in Berlin.—
Antonio Sergio Bessa,
Curbed,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.—
Brad Plumer,
New York Times,
22 Oct. 2025
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That much rain over mountainous terrain in the area could trigger catastrophic flash flooding and landslides.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Such a slow start proved fatal to Yeovil, who went on to finish bottom of the table after being made to wait until October 26 for their first Huish Park victory at the seventh attempt.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after being taken away by paramedics, the father of Owens' four children was informed over the phone that her injury proved fatal.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysmal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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