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

Barring a December cataclysm, strategists from Evercore ISI, Goldman Sachs, UBS and Wells Fargo Investment Institute were also proven too bearish this year. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 13 Dec. 2024

His rival Elon Musk envisions inhabiting space as a way for humanity to live on beyond Earth, if a cataclysm strikes our planet. —Dave Lawler, Axios, 8 Dec. 2024

In summary, the scale of the national debt to worry about, is only 30% of the size of the topline number we all get bombarded with as the agent of the next economic cataclysm. —Clem Chambers, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

In echoes of what contemporary Americans would face with Y2K 117 years later, some people feared the time change would bring a cataclysm. —Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024

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

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