apocalyptic

American  

[uh-pok-uh-lip-tik] / əˌpɒk əˈlɪp tɪk /

Also apocalyptical

adjective

1. of or like an apocalypse; affording a revelation or prophecy.

2. pertaining to the Apocalypse or biblical book of Revelation.

3. predicting or presaging imminent disaster and total or universal destruction.

   the apocalyptic vision of some contemporary writers.

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Other Word Forms

• apocalyptically adverb
• postapocalyptic adjective

Etymology

Origin of apocalyptic

1620–30; < Late Greek apokalýptikos, equivalent to apokalýpt ( ein ) to uncover, disclose ( apocalypse ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

And there are plenty of hybrid creatures, apocalyptic nightmares, strange juxtapositions and drooping abnormalities of the melting-watch variety.

From The Wall Street Journal

Capt. Williams’s skirmish is a reminder that the U.S. and the Soviets did a fair bit of fighting without ending up in an apocalyptic conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal

Earning its apocalyptic title, this doomerist manifesto by two of the leading figures in the tech world appears in an era saturated with reckless optimism and hype.

From Los Angeles Times

Even here, though, “Resurrection” drills down into something unbearably moving, turning the century’s end into an apocalyptic occurrence, the future perilously uncertain for these impetuous lovers.

From Los Angeles Times

Stephen King’s 1978 novel “The Stand” was a seminal work of apocalyptic horror, republished in 1990 with 400 added pages that had been cut earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ominous
• prophetic