CATACLYSMS Synonyms: 128 Similar and Opposite Words

cataclysms

noun

plural of cataclysm

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

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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

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as in upheavals

a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order) a social cataclysm that gave rise to a new world order

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cataclysms The destruction of the ozone layer would allow hazardous ultraviolet radiation to rain down on the planet, adding to the series of climate cataclysms that would threaten civilization and most life on Earth. — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026 These include supernovae and other cataclysms, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), some of which arise from colliding black holes or neutron stars and are among the most powerful explosions in the universe. — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 1 July 2026 These cataclysms locked inside the Delaware Basin more than 46 billion barrels of technically recoverable crude oil, and 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. — Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026 And star-formation will continue for trillions of years, providing new lights in the sky and new chances for cataclysms like supernovae, kilonovae, and tidal disruption events. — Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 At the universe's grandest scales, galaxy clusters collide in slow-motion cataclysms, leaving behind immense, ghostly arcs — vast ribbons of diffuse radio emissions that can stretch across millions of light-years. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysms

Noun

In Sakarya province, around 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Istanbul, a two-story house that was built on a riverbed collapsed in the floods, HaberTurk television reported.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
With homes nearly toppling into the ocean and back-to-back floods and hurricanes amplifying our sense of dread, keeping track of all things El Niño can be overwhelming.

— Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of floods

Noun

Its chief instructor, Wang Kuanghan, has said plans are underway to open five more centers in China within three years, expanding the simulations to other disasters, including fires and earthquakes.

— Lauryn Higgins, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
The administration initially talked about abolishing the agency, arguing that states and communities could deal with disasters on their own.

— Dana R. Fisher, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of disasters

Noun

Against encroaching social upheavals, the sovereign was resolutely the center of a mercantilist universe.

— Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
The underlying motivation for African policymakers is to untether their economies from commodity cycles and, by extension, the upheavals that come with them.

— Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of upheavals

Noun

Few of her words survived the torrents of sound in which they were immersed; as with certain Grouper recordings, the lyrics emerged as texture more than syntax.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
Such terrain is already conducive to flash flooding, sudden torrents that can sweep down canyons and other low-lying areas with little warning.

— Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of torrents

Noun

Panamanian authorities had not attributed any deaths to the earthquakes.

— Aris Mariota, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
David Ryder | Reuters The typical homeowners insurance policy excludes or limits coverage for damage from certain disasters, such as earthquakes, landslides and floods, according to insurance experts.

— Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of earthquakes

Noun

There’s a lot of apocalypses happening now in this world, major ones.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.

— JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025

Definition of apocalypses

Noun

The protagonist becomes a wise-guy version of Benjamin’s Angel of History, watching calamities accumulate before his eyes.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
To avert future calamities, the forest outside Bordeaux must be thinned and its fire breaks widened, said Arthur Guérin-Turcq, a Sorbonne University geographer whose family cultivates pines near Le Porge.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of calamities

Browse Nearby Words

cataclysmal

cataclysms

catacomb

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“Cataclysms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysms. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cataclysms

noun

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