cataclysmal

adjective

variants or cataclysmic
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune a cataclysmal decision to plunge the nation into war

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction a cataclysmal landslide that virtually wiped out the village

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in turbulent
marked by sudden or violent disturbance the French Revolution was one of the great cataclysmal events in modern history

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 cataclysmal Barring a cataclysmic injury, all of this translates into an eventual Young contract extension. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026 But the shockwaves of this cataclysmic blast will stretch far beyond the fifth planet. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 23 July 2026 The pound’s loss of reserve currency status wasn’t a cataclysmic event but a slow decline over decades. — Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Fortune, 17 July 2026 Despite ample warnings from the National Weather Service that potentially cataclysmic winds were bound for the city in the heart of its fire season, Bass headed to Ghana for a diplomatic event and was in Africa as the city burned. — John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026 The earliest Daoist community, known as the Celestial Masters, believed that their founder, Zhang Daoling, had made a special contract with the deified Laozi that would protect them through a cataclysmic end of times. — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026 This has been a cataclysmic failure of his making. — NBC news, 21 June 2026 Amend and extend The situation in private credit has, so far, been a sort of slow-moving train wreck as opposed to a cataclysmic derailing. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 28 May 2026 That world ended in cataclysmic war, the one that claimed the life of Alfred Louis Webb and so many others. — Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysmal
  1. disastrous
  2. devastating
  3. turbulent
  4. fatal
  5. destructive
  6. unfortunate
  7. catastrophic
Adjective
  • Boone didn’t get to watch the disastrous half-inning from the dugout, as he was ejected in the top of the sixth.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Despite so many past failures, Washington’s foreign policy debates are frequently still dominated by aging officials who made disastrous choices.
    — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • Our absolute priority right now is providing unwavering support to their families, friends and teammates during this devastating time.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Our absolute priority right now is providing unwavering support to their families, friends, and teammates during this devastating time.
    — Jack Moore, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • Royal historian Amanda Foreman told PEOPLE in December 2025 that the turbulent few years made Kate and William more connected.
    — Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Palace’s squad always had a spine which included strong personalities or those who knew the club and had experience to guide them through turbulent times and new starts.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of turbulent
Adjective
  • The family ran the rescue out of their New Hampshire house until a fatal fire burned it down in 2019.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers also examined fatal crashes, looking at drivers’ ages, alcohol involvement, the number of people in the car and the model year of cars, as newer cars may have more safety features that prevent distraction.
    — Diana Anos, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, raising the possibility of destructive flooding and even wildfires kicked up by strong winds on the drier sides of the islands.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Tropical Storm Lala is moving away from Hawaii after bringing destructive flooding and strong winds over the weekend.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of destructive
Adjective
  • That understanding for the narrator is one tinged with mourning for the boy who endured but also the suspect boy who was always there, even before all the unfortunate happenings.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The first addresses inflammation and irritation (an unfortunate side effect of vitamin C, for some people).
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Guthrie responded to the catastrophic damage brought by hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton, and to other crises like the Surfside condo collapse.
    — Michael Van Sickler, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Under American stewardship, catastrophic wars have shattered Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophic

Browse Nearby Words

cataclysm
cataclysmal
cataclysms
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cataclysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysmal. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cataclysmal

Nglish: Translation of cataclysmal for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All