CATARACT Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

cataract

noun

ˈka-tə-ˌrakt

Definition of cataract

as in waterfall

a fall of water usually from a great height the roaring cataract is one of the park's most majestic sights

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in flood

a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms in spring the melting snows usually produce a cataract that inundates the valley

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataract

Noun

Some time at the spa is also a must, where a natural water feature travels from an outdoor waterfall through the length of the spa.

— Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Sink advises turning off water fountains and waterfalls during the day when temperatures are at their peak.

— Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026

Definition of waterfall

Noun

Meanwhile, Dondi’s son and son-in-law kept combing the flood area for objects, as did her husband, who also transported bins of things back to the warehouse and coached volunteers.

— Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
And in 1993, after many more floods, the Mississippi swelled again, this time with memorable cruelty.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of flood

Noun

John Kagaoan, principal at Kagaoan Engineering in New York, explained that while some buildings are designed to accommodate some movement, the concern for a collapse can grow as potential failures cascade.

— Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Even if your organization is not regulated like a bank or government contractor, your customers and partners may be—and their expectations cascade into your workflows.

— Brian Stimpfl, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of cascade

Noun

His second-guessing doesn’t stanch his inner torrent of bile, which continues through dinner with Irène and her mother, and goes on for another fifteen pages of emotional hypotheticals and conditionals.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
Most of the deaths were in Hengzhou, where the partial collapse of a reservoir dam sent torrents of water into the city and claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the vice mayor of Nanning city, which has jurisdiction over the area.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026

Definition of torrent

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.

Browse Nearby Words

catapults

cataract

cataracts

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cataract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataract. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cataract

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on cataract

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fulcrum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes