cataclysmic

American

[kat-uh-kliz-mik] / ˌkæt əˈklɪz mɪk /

Or cataclysmal

adjective

of, relating to, or resulting from a cataclysm.
of the nature of, or having the effect of, a cataclysm.

cataclysmic changes.

Other Word Forms

cataclysmically adverb
noncataclysmal adjective
noncataclysmic adjective

Etymology

Origin of cataclysmic

First recorded in 1850–55; cataclysm + -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He also warned that wider cuts would have a "cataclysmic effects for the for the classical music world".

From BBC

Serbia's Education Minister, Branko Ruzic, stepped down on Sunday, citing the "cataclysmic tragedy" of the recent school massacre in his resignation letter.

From BBC

Near the end of the set he played “Wish You the Best,” a song that is the logical inheritor of “Someone You Loved” — cataclysmically depressing, but somehow triumphant and engineered for universal acclamation.

From New York Times

America is hurtling toward a historic and potentially cataclysmic default — and its best hope for avoiding it may be one of the least popular men in Washington: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

From Seattle Times

“It felt like this cataclysmic confluence of things,” he said.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023