1
as in floods
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms
an ancient cataclysm that may have been the basis for the Flood described in the Bible
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disasters
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
the earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755, killing 30,000 people, was one of the greatest cataclysms ever recorded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in upheavals
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
a social cataclysm that gave rise to a new world order
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Recent Examples of cataclysms
These cataclysms locked inside the Delaware Basin more than 46 billion barrels of technically recoverable crude oil, and 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
—
Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
And star-formation will continue for trillions of years, providing new lights in the sky and new chances for cataclysms like supernovae, kilonovae, and tidal disruption events.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
In the early 2000s, scientists first saw these conspicuous cataclysms, which can shine much longer and be more than 10 times brighter than a normal supernova.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
At the universe's grandest scales, galaxy clusters collide in slow-motion cataclysms, leaving behind immense, ghostly arcs — vast ribbons of diffuse radio emissions that can stretch across millions of light-years.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
And star-formation will continue for trillions of years, providing new lights in the sky and new chances for cataclysms like supernovae, kilonovae, and tidal disruption events.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
In the early 2000s, scientists first saw these conspicuous cataclysms, which can shine much longer and be more than 10 times brighter than a normal supernova.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
At the universe's grandest scales, galaxy clusters collide in slow-motion cataclysms, leaving behind immense, ghostly arcs — vast ribbons of diffuse radio emissions that can stretch across millions of light-years.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysms
Noun
-
And Spanish voters are preoccupied with a housing crisis, debates over services for migrants, and the government’s handling of natural disasters, including floods in recent years that left hundreds of people dead.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
Nearly half of American houses predate 1980, before today’s era of megafires, floods, and hurricanes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Those improvements include pipe insulation, walls, attics, weather stripping doors and windows and installing storm windows to prevent future disasters.—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
The seemingly limitless budgets and bottomless demand for content of the streaming television era have allowed studios to dramatize both long-ago and recent disasters.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
This year has been marked by major political upheavals, armed conflicts, cultural milestones, and memorable moments in sports.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
-
Makary’s efforts on drug reviews were overshadowed by internal conflicts and upheavals that created headaches for drugmakers, investors and patients.—
Matthew Perrone,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Spring rains and winter snowmelt have swelled rivers and lakes, forcing torrents of water through Cheboygan County communities on its way to Lake Huron.—
Sarah Brumfield,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The silken charcoal bathrobes are a decadent touch, as are the welcome torrents of piping water that rain from monsoon showers and the wonderful organic soaps.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
California is being hammered with more frequent and devastating catastrophes, and that’s making the entire insurance market riskier and more expensive, exacerbating mistakes made by government and the private sector alike.—
Ben Allen,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
What was in the hearts of the humans who diarized catastrophes on the Elbe’s river rocks seven centuries ago—and in 2018?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
-
The administration says the project is necessary to protect water deliveries for 27 million Californians and roughly 750,000 acres of farmland while improving reliability during earthquakes and extreme storm systems.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
10 Dec. 2025
-
And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The winter had been a season of calamities, with one emergency or challenge after another.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
-
Farmers markets — that humble and charming throwback to a bygone era — are also struggling with higher fuel prices, after weathering the economic calamities of the pandemic and other misfortunes.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysms. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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