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  Apocalypse

  noun

  Bible (in the Vulgate and Douay versions of the Bible) the Book of Revelation

apocalypse

American  

[uh-pok-uh-lips] / əˈpɒk ə lɪps /

noun

• apocalypses
  plural

1. 1. a prophecy or revelation, especially regarding a final cataclysmic battle between good and evil.

   2. the apocalypse, in some belief systems, a final cataclysmic battle of this kind, in which evil is defeated and the present age brought to a close.

      According to traditional evangelical teaching, the apocalypse will begin with a time of persecution.

   3. the apocalypse, the end of civilization; the complete destruction or collapse of the world as we know it (sometimes used facetiously).

      On both ends of the political spectrum, visions of the apocalypse and predictions of doom abound.

      We thought this recession might be the apocalypse, and sales would go down to 1 percent.

2. any universal or widespread destruction or disaster.

   If humanity is to avoid a nuclear apocalypse, a whole new level of international cooperation is urgently required.

3. Apocalypse. Revelation.

4. any piece of literature belonging to a genre of Jewish or Christian writings that appeared from about 200 b.c. to the late Middle Ages and were assumed to reveal God’s ultimate purpose.

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Apocalypse ¹ British  

/ əˈpɒkəlɪps /

noun

1. Bible (in the Vulgate and Douay versions of the Bible) the Book of Revelation

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apocalypse ² British  

/ əˈpɒkəlɪps /

noun

1. a prophetic disclosure or revelation

2. an event of great importance, violence, etc, like the events described in the Apocalypse

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Apocalypse Cultural  

1. Another name for the New Testament Book of Revelation; from the Greek word for “revelation.”

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Discover More

An “apocalypse” is a final catastrophe.

The Apocalypse is supposed to come at the end of the world or of time.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• apocalypses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of apocalypse

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Late Latin apocalypsis, from Greek apokálypsis “revelation,” from apokalýp(tein) “to uncover, reveal” (from apo- apo- + kalýptein “to cover, conceal”; cf. eucalyptus) + -sis -sis

Explanation

Apocalypse is a word that means "the end of the world" — or something so destructive it seems like the world has ended, like the event of a major earthquake. The apocalypse is the total destruction of the world, as prophesied in the Biblical book of Revelation. Apocalypse can be used to describe utter destruction caused by war or natural disaster. The nuclear bomb attack on Hiroshima during World War II can be called an apocalypse because the devastation was so severe and so many lives were lost.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

apocalypse Apocalypse apocalypses

"I felt a sense of the apocalypse this summer," said Cyril Chedeville, a 59-year-old from Bordeaux in southwestern France.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

"It's like the zombie apocalypse sometimes and you can see they are completely away with it," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The Argentine ranch where tech CEOs plan to ride out the apocalypse.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

This is someone who recently wrote a paper categorizing the ways AI might kill everyone, applying a mathematician’s instinct for order to the apocalypse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

The group across the table stared at him like it was the advent of the apocalypse.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Although Los Angeles has pushed to get a residential curbside bin program in place — recall the “Great Green Bin Apocalypse of 2025” — it has struggled to get people to comply.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Duvall's work in Apocalypse Now and The Great Santini saw him nominated for Oscars in consecutive years.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Angel Nail Salon, just 10 minutes from Apocalypse BBQ, offers hair and nail services at a great price point, making it an ideal stop for manicures, pedicures, or even a blowout before a night out.

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026

I’m in development hell, but if Coppola could fight for a decade to make Apocalypse Now, I can stand by Endier Game for another half-hour.

From Barron's ● Dec. 12, 2025

"Because everyone thinks I'm one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse?"

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

So I decided that I needed to give this class to my students, because they needed to know that apocalypses have been around for thousands of years, and nothing ever happens.

From Salon ● May 22, 2024

The game has no guns, no Marios, no apocalypses.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2023

Burns and his co-showrunner, Dorothy Fortenberry, argue that film and TV have their own version of the same problem: Climate apocalypses create immediate drama and character-level tension.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 17, 2023

And when those apocalypses recur, new beginnings may suggest themselves.

From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2022

The book of Revelation Seeing that so many good Christians are perplexed by the apocalypses, we shall close this chapter with a brief study of the book of Revelation.

From What and Where is God? A Human Answer to the Deep Religious Cry of the Modern Soul by Richard la Rue Swain

Related Words

• annihilation
• cataclysm
• catastrophe
• devastation