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

Related Words

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