postapocalyptic

American  

[pohst-uh-pahk-uh-lipt-ik] / ˌpoʊst əˌpɑk əˈlɪpt ɪk /

adjective

1. relating to or set in the period following an apocalypse, such as an imagined nuclear war or the collapse of global civilization.

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Other Word Forms

• post-post-apocalyptic
  adjective
• postapocalyptically
  adverb

Example Sentences

In Malibu: In “Planet of the Apes,” Charlton Heston’s character, George Taylor, discovers the Statue of Liberty half-buried in the sand—and realizes that what he thought was an alien planet is a postapocalyptic Earth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

James Cameron hopes to light up the box office with ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ ‘Fallout’ brings another season of postapocalyptic sci-fi to Prime Video, Dib Bangkok expands Thailand’s contemporary-art scene, and more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

In the sequel panel, the tables have turned: The same guy is chained in a postapocalyptic hellscape while the woman lounges happily with her robot overlord, smugly nibbling chocolates.

From Slate • Aug. 31, 2025

I always like when postapocalyptic tales take the time to explain how it all went down.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2025

Overall, she seemed to be going for a sort of mid-’80s postapocalyptic cyberpunk girl-next-door look.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline