cataclysm

noun

cat·​a·​clysm ˈka-tə-ˌkli-zəm 

1

: flood, deluge

2

: catastrophe sense 3a

3

: a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition

broadly : an event that brings great changes

an international economic cataclysm

cataclysmal

ˌka-tə-ˈkliz-məl 

adjective

or cataclysmic

ˌka-tə-ˈkliz-mik 

cataclysmically

ˌka-tə-ˈkliz-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• alluvion
• bath
• cataract
• deluge
• flood
• flood tide
• inundation
• Niagara
• overflow
• spate
• torrent

Examples of cataclysm in a Sentence

floods, earthquakes, and other cataclysms

The country barely survived the cataclysm of war.

The revolution could result in worldwide cataclysm.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Leftovers, which ran for four seasons on three seasons, followed the aftermath of a global cataclysm that results in the unexplained disappearance of 140 million people, finds Kevin (Theroux), a police officer and father, relocated to a small Texas town from Mapleton, New York. —Esther Kang, People.com, 2 June 2025

Some plants are quiet survivors, outlasting cataclysms that reshaped the planet itself. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

The Black Death, the bubonic plague that tore into England in 1348, was — this should not need saying — a cataclysm. —Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 28 May 2025

The film begins, as usual, with a vision of cataclysm: a Space Needle–esque building that both collapses and explodes. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmos, from Greek kataklysmos, from kataklyzein to inundate, from kata- + klyzein to wash — more at clyster

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cataclysm

• alyssum
• aneurysm

Kids Definition

cataclysm

noun

cat·​a·​clysm ˈkat-ə-ˌkliz-əm 

1

: a great flood

2

: a violent and destructive natural event (as an earthquake)

3

: a violent social or political change

cataclysmal

ˌkat-ə-ˈkliz-məl 

adjective

or cataclysmic

-mik