Skip to main content
cataclysmic

cataclysmic

22 9.1
Causing sudden very great damage to people, buildings or land
  • adjective
  • /ˌkætəˈklɪzmɪk/
translation icon : catastrófico
  • You and I both know what is coming: atomic warfare, cataclysmic destruction.
  • cataclysmic event
  • cataclysmic upheaval
  • cataclysmic destruction

What is a less cataclysmic version of that?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • That is a cataclysmic change for Democrats.

  • When something cataclysmic happens in your life, there's any number of ways you can deal with it.

  • So it's going to be a cataclysmic loss to the the club, the environment and its people, as you say.

  • These students here have lived through so much that is exciting and cataclysmic in the world.

  • And probably face a series of cataclysmic events for the rest of your lives.

  • So this really was a terrible and cataclysmic disease in its severe form.

  • But if this happens to us now, the result will be cataclysmic.

  • At other times, cataclysmic events occurred, and substantial reforms were put in place to address such events.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Rapid and pervasive change, along with occasional instances of cataclysmic change, has indeed been a hallmark of the past several decades.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The earthquake caused cataclysmic destruction across the entire region.

Synonyms

devastating
vscataclysmic
224 5.1

Causing very great damage or sadness

adds the idea of sudden violent change beyond broad harm
catastrophic
vscataclysmic
144 7.0

Causing very great damage or harm

stresses violent sudden change more than general large-scale harm
apocalyptic
vscataclysmic
61 8.6

Relating to great damage and chaos like the end of the world

means sudden violent destructive change without necessarily implying apocalypse
ruinous
vscataclysmic
10 7.0

Causing very serious harm to people or businesses

focuses more on sudden violent upheaval and broad devastation
calamitous
vscataclysmic
6 7.9

An event that causes great harm or loss

emphasizes sudden violent change and extreme destruction instead of general harm
cataclysmal
vscataclysmic
9.9

Causing very large, sudden destruction that changes a place

is the same sense but presented in the primary spelling form
apocalyptical
vscataclysmic
9.4

Describing a future with great destruction and the end of the world

describes violent sudden destruction without the prophetic or visionary tone

Antonyms

107 1.0

Something like pain and criticism that is not very strong or serious

35 6.2

Kind and gentle and not likely to cause harm

How Disastrous

apocalyptic
61 8.6
cataclysmic
22 9.1
catastrophic
144 7.0
disastrous
126 3.5
destructive
243 4.2
damaging
80 3.1

Surface Forms

cataclysmic positive

Morphology

cataclysmic = cataclysm (transparent) = cataclysm + ic

Formation from the noun 'cataclysm' with the productive adjectival suffix '-ic' yields a predictable adjectival meaning for learners who know the base.

Etymology

Cataclysmic comes from Greek parts kata- meaning 'down' and klysmós meaning 'a washing' or 'flood'. So, think of a huge 'down-wash' or flood that wipes things away, which is why cataclysmic describes something that causes sudden, great destruction.