doomsday

American  

[doomz-dey] / ˈdumzˌdeɪ /

noun

1. Theology. the day of the Last Judgment, at the end of the world.

2. any day of judgment or sentence.

3. nuclear destruction of the world.

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adjective

1. given to or marked by forebodings or predictions of impending calamity; especially concerned with or predicting future universal destruction.

   the doomsday issue of all-out nuclear war.

2. capable of causing widespread or total destruction.

   doomsday weapons.

doomsday British  

/ ˈduːmzˌdeɪ /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) the day on which the Last Judgment will occur

2. any day of reckoning

3. (modifier) characterized by predictions of disaster

   doomsday scenario

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Etymology

Origin of doomsday

First recorded before 1000; Middle English domes dai, Old English dōmesdæg “Judgment Day”; equivalent to doom ( def. ) + 's ¹ ( def. ) + day ( def. )

Example Sentences

When Guardiola signed a new two-year contract in November 2024, the perceived doomsday scenario of his departure at the end of that season was prevented.

From BBC

Trash cans disappeared in many parts of Japan in 1995 after a doomsday cult spread toxic gas in the Tokyo subway.

From The Wall Street Journal

"But I'm not a total doomsday type of guy," he adds.

From BBC

One is the “doomsday scenario” of a widespread end to rewards programs.

From MarketWatch

I was a fresh-faced high school senior, living out the prime of my teenage youth in an increasingly progressive world where fundamentalist doomsday prophecies were lobbed around in jest.

From Salon