seismic
Americanadjective
adjective
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Also (less commonly): seismical. relating to or caused by earthquakes or artificially produced earth tremors
-
of enormous proportions or having highly significant consequences
seismic social change
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of seismic
Explanation
For the ancient Greeks, "seismos" meant an earthquake. Later on, when the study of earthquakes became a science, anything seismic meant anything related to the study of the pressures in the Earth's crust. The English language has a long and proud tradition of stealing scientific words and applying them in all sorts of ways that scientists probably wish they didn't: Darwinian, tempestuous, evolutionary — to name but three. It's the same with seismic, which is now far more likely to be applied to political or psychological turmoil than anything to do with the earth opening up and molten hot lava spewing out.
Vocabulary lists containing seismic
Brace Yourself: Earthquake Words
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Super Seismic: Words for Volcanoes and Earthquakes
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This Week in Words: November 26 - December 1, 2017
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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.
In California, they could cause a seismic shift.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
"We needed to put together these two pieces of the puzzle, the rock chemistry and seismic data, in order to make the connection," said Gibson.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
Count Glenn Whipp in Camp Mulligan: “Her dry put-downs mask a fury that she eventually unleashes with seismic force. Mulligan has been consistently great, but I don’t remember her being this ferocious — or funny.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice said his party would be "throwing everything possible" to ensure a "seismic" win in the by-election.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
I had seen the earth tremble, felt the preliminary shock; now I waited for the seismic event that would transform the landscape.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
