apocalyptic

adjective

apoc·​a·​lyp·​tic ə-ˌpä-kə-ˈlip-tik How to pronounce apocalyptic (audio)
variants or less commonly apocalyptical
1
: of, relating to, or resembling an apocalypse
apocalyptic events
2
: forecasting the ultimate destiny of the world : prophetic
apocalyptic warnings
3
: foreboding imminent disaster or final doom : terrible
apocalyptic signs of the coming end-times
4
: wildly unrestrained : grandiose
5
: ultimately decisive : climactic
an apocalyptic battle
apocalyptically adverb

Examples of apocalyptic in a Sentence

No one listened to her apocalyptic predictions. a less apocalyptic view of the future the apocalyptic destruction of the world
Recent Examples on the Web
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The industry’s apocalyptic voices are becoming more panicked—and harder to dismiss. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025 The Black Death and its aftermath saw a great resurgence of apocalyptic flagellation, with thousands of adherents flogging themselves up and down the Continent (the movement failed to take off in England, which figures). Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 This past January, Griffin lost his home and Taylor had his studio destroyed in the apocalyptic Eaton Fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles. Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2025 Anyone who rides out a Cat 5 storm in a high-rise should be prepared for an eyes-wide-open nightmare and an apocalyptic aftermath, warned Fred Bloetscher, a civil engineering professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for apocalyptic

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin apocalypticus, derivative of apocalypsis apocalypse, by analogy with pairs such as ellīpsis ellipsis : ellīpticus elliptic

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of apocalyptic was in 1633

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Cite this Entry

“Apocalyptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocalyptic. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

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