doomsday

American  

[doomz-dey] / ˈdumzˌdeɪ /

noun

1. Theology. the day of the Last Judgment, at the end of the world.

2. any day of judgment or sentence.

3. nuclear destruction of the world.

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adjective

1. given to or marked by forebodings or predictions of impending calamity; especially concerned with or predicting future universal destruction.

   the doomsday issue of all-out nuclear war.

2. capable of causing widespread or total destruction.

   doomsday weapons.

doomsday British  

/ ˈduːmzˌdeɪ /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) the day on which the Last Judgment will occur

2. any day of reckoning

3. (modifier) characterized by predictions of disaster

   doomsday scenario

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Etymology

Origin of doomsday

First recorded before 1000; Middle English domes dai, Old English dōmesdæg “Judgment Day”; equivalent to doom ( def. ) + 's ¹ ( def. ) + day ( def. )

Example Sentences

One is the “doomsday scenario” of a widespread end to rewards programs.

From MarketWatch

I was a fresh-faced high school senior, living out the prime of my teenage youth in an increasingly progressive world where fundamentalist doomsday prophecies were lobbed around in jest.

From Salon

The Silicon Valley giant teamed up with Range Media Partners earlier this year to commission short films about artificial intelligence that have less doomsday depictions of technology.

From Los Angeles Times

If you somehow managed to make it through 2025 without hearing “Golden,” congratulations for escaping your underground doomsday bunker, Lucy MacLean.

From Salon

However, she was quick to joke that her ambitions as far as doomsday prepping are concerned don’t include outliving the rest of humanity.

From MarketWatch