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

Imagine if a ghost from the future could have given world leaders in 1914 a glimpse of the cataclysm their policies would produce. —Philip Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2017

Our telescopes are now so sensitive that every year astronomers see tens of thousands of these stellar cataclysms somewhere in the universe. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 2 Aug. 2024

Humanitarian service, as opposed to political action, has been the Catholic Church’s standard response to cataclysm. —Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2015

These cataclysms then scatter it through the cosmos, so the shiny stuff then turns up in the dusty discs from which planets form. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 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