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
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysms
Noun
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In the past few years, the platform has enabled participants to have a real-time snapshot of port and inland network congestion and monitor unexpected cargo shifts caused by disasters like the Baltimore Bridge collapse, and world events, such as the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
23 Dec. 2024 -
Another $29 billion will go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for response, recovery and mitigation related to presidentially declared major disasters.—
Alan Wooten | The Center Square,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Or perhaps flying insects that make split-second changes to their flight patterns enjoy torrents of information flowing through their brains that we mere humans can only imagine.—
Carl Zimmer,
New York Times,
26 Dec. 2024
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The lakes are often held in place by unstable ice dams and gravel bars that can fail with little warning, unleashing deadly torrents.—
ByAthar Parvaiz,
science.org,
2 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This spaceplane would advance space exploration and satellite delivery until ultimately being retired following a series of high-profile and tragic catastrophes.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Dec. 2024
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Kenya grappled with one of its worst floods in recent history, the latest in a string of weather catastrophes, following weeks of extreme rainfall that scientists linked to a changing climate.—
Alan Taylor,
The Atlantic,
9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Violence was entrenched as a byproduct of a government that ignored the tragedies faced by those like Shirley Vasquez and her neighbors.—
Cary Goodman,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2025
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An Interview with Diane Wilson Sarah Neilson Talking to the author of The Seed Keeper about the tragedies of modern agriculture, and restoring Indigenous foods to communities as one way of healing historical trauma.—
Max Ufberg,
hazlitt.net,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Its namesake bell, changed out for a siren in the 1920s, was meant to avoid such calamities in the future.—
Jessica Garrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Dec. 2024
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Some of those calamities were self-inflicted.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
25 Nov. 2024
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Thesaurus Entries Near cataclysms
Cite this Entry
“Cataclysms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysms. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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