cataclysmic

Or cat·a·clys·mal

[kat-uh-kliz-mik]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resulting from a cataclysm.

2. of the nature of, or having the effect of, a cataclysm.

   cataclysmic changes.

Other Word Forms

• cataclysmically adverb
• noncataclysmal adjective
• noncataclysmic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cataclysmic¹

First recorded in 1850–55; cataclysm + -ic

Example Sentences

A year and a bit on from a cataclysmic election defeat, the Tories have become more unpopular.

Read more on BBC

She described the situation in the city as "cataclysmic".

Read more on BBC

Israel's latest ground operation in Gaza City, described by a UN official as "cataclysmic", has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee.

Read more on BBC

"The things there, and the scenes on the way to Gaza City, are nothing short of cataclysmic," she recalled.

Read more on BBC

Mine was that even a 24-hour delay in benefit payments would have a cataclysmic fallout for the Republican Party.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• calamitous 
• catastrophic 
• disastrous 
• fatal 
• ruinous 
• tragic