apocalypse

noun

ə-ˈpä-kə-ˌlips How to pronounce apocalypse (audio)
Definition of apocalypsenext
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction the fear that the next global pandemic could be an apocalypse of biblical proportions

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Example Sentences

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 apocalypse Whitehead plumbed his boyhood fondness for horror movies in Zone One (2011), a zombie apocalypse novel set in a post-9/11 lower Manhattan in the wake of a pandemic. — Literary Hub, 28 July 2026 The widow certainly has not had a lot to smile about in the zombie apocalypse, and definitely not to the man who brutally murdered her husband. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026 Long before OpenAI broke out of its test corral and hacked into Hugging Face, before the internet and Sam Altman were even born, Cameron wrote a screenplay about an autonomous artificial intelligence system that triggers a nuclear apocalypse. — ABC News, 26 July 2026 The simulator has options such as target practice, zombie apocalypse and even real-life self-defense scenarios. — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for apocalypse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apocalypse
  1. disaster
  2. catastrophe
  3. tragedy
  4. calamity
Noun
  • The club was rebuilding after the 1958 Munich air disaster but won a first post-Munich trophy, the FA Cup, earlier that year.
    — Andy Mitten, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In nearby Anderson in Madison County, Indiana, the mayor declared a local disaster emergency and issued evacuation orders Thursday along the swelling White River and other waterways.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • Massive crude stockpiles before the war helped prevent catastrophe when supply dried up.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • As the summer of 2001 wears on through the lens of Kopple’s camera, our knowledge of the coming catastrophe casts a shadow over the proceedings.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • Officials say Monday's tragedy is far from an isolated incident and are urging the public to slow down and pay attention.
    — Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Through rapid-fire verbal repartee, constant close-ups, and frantic cuts, Deramas treads a careful line between tragedy and comedy, the latter a psychological weapon against the former.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • Buenaventura declared a local state of calamity to facilitate its emergency response and request additional assistance from the national government.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026
  • To be fair, a number of the calamities should have been foreseen, probably.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of calamity

Browse Nearby Words

aplomb
apocalypse
apocalypses
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Cite this Entry

“Apocalypse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apocalypse. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on apocalypse

Nglish: Translation of apocalypse for Spanish Speakers

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