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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cataclysms
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
Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysms
Noun
-
Federal authorities from several offices also conducted rescues and life-saving efforts after floods in San Antonio, Texas, DHS said.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Take the heat waves, droughts and floods that dogged a quarter of the European Union last summer.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Packers had seen their season end in two of the last three postseasons in part because of special teams disasters, and Saturday night was no different.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Overall, the nation suffered a staggering 23 separate weather and climate disasters in 2025, each of which cost over $1 billion in damages.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These are among the many questions posed by Simon Morrison’s sprawling biography of place, which seeks to understand a nation through the life of its largest city, tracing Moscow’s evolution via dozens of historical upheavals, from war, famine, drought, and much, much more.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Evans’ historic eight terms as the first Black chief judge saw the county through reforms, changes and upheavals including the elimination of cash bail and the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The report alleges the scrape includes 256 million rows of track metadata and 86 million audio files, to be distributed on P2P networks in bulk torrents totaling roughly 300 terabytes.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
21 Dec. 2025
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Officials have conducted dozens of water rescues as debris and mudslides have closed highways and raging torrents have washed out roads and bridges.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
An observer of catastrophes, come what may.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Across their nearly 100-year football rivalry, USC and Notre Dame have only paused their annual matchup for global catastrophes like World War II and the Covid-19 pandemic.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Last month, at least seven earthquakes rattled the coast of Alaska in a span of 24 hours.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
-
Massive radiation storms, earthquakes, and other calamities continue to make the outside world highly dangerous.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Not so much for most of the thousands of people displaced a year ago by the twin fire calamities that hit the east and west ends of Los Angeles County.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysms. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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