earthshaking

American  

[urth-shey-king] / ˈɜrθˌʃeɪ kɪŋ /

Also earth-shattering, or earth-shaking

adjective

1. imperiling, challenging, or affecting basic beliefs, attitudes, relationships, etc.

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earthshaking British  

/ ˈɜːθˌʃeɪkɪŋ /

adjective

1. informal of enormous importance or consequence; momentous

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Other Word Forms

• earthshaker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of earthshaking

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at earth, shaking

Explanation

When something is earthshaking, it’s so loud or significant that it feels like the whole world could tremble in response. Whether it’s a sound loud enough to shake the earth or an event significant enough to impact the entire world, earthshaking moments leave a lasting impression. A thunderous explosion that can be felt all over town is an example of a literally earthshaking event. In a figurative sense, an earthshaking discovery would be the existence of life on other planets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

earthshaking

These aren’t earthshaking revelations, but some of the habits of the best teams are counterintuitive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

On a later program, Salonen led an earthshaking performance of his Dada-inspired “Karawane” for chorus and orchestra that brought the house down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

She heard an earthshaking boom and, from her bathroom window, “all you saw was the flames.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2023

One afternoon in Chicago, he meets an enigmatic young woman who reveals the earthshaking truth about the gigantic cave man he briefly glimpsed so long ago.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2023

While hardly an earthshaking question, it had symbolic significance because of the obsessive American suspicion of monarchy, which haunted all conversations about the powers of the presidency under the recently ratified Constitution.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis