nuclear winter

American  

[noo-klee-er win-ter, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli ər ˈwɪn tər, ˈnyu- /

noun

1. the general devastation of life, along with worldwide darkness and extreme cold, that some scientists believe would result from a global dust cloud screening out sunlight following large-scale nuclear detonations.

---

nuclear winter British  

noun

1. a period of extremely low temperatures and little light that, it has been suggested, would occur as a result of a nuclear war

---

nuclear winter Cultural  

1. A theory first put forward in 1983 predicting that a large-scale nuclear exchange would produce enough smoke and soot to lower the temperature of the Earth significantly. Subsequent calculations indicated that the climatic effects would be much less than had originally been claimed, leading to the use of the term nuclear autumn to describe the phenomenon.

---

Pronunciation

See nuclear ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of nuclear winter

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

In the 1970s, we were warned about a new ice age and in the 1980s of a nuclear winter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

Go be close to the people we love and wait for the nuclear winter?

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2025

What effect does the nuclear winter hypothesis have on nuclear deterrence and our readiness to rely on nuclear weapons as a key element of defence?

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2024

The threat to humanity’s very existence would come after the war, when soot from massive fires ignited by the bombings would rapidly alter the climate in a scenario known as nuclear winter.

From Scientific American • Mar. 21, 2023

The voice emanating from the aluminum speaker grid was as serious as a nuclear winter.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer