variants
or cataclysmic
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a cataclysmal decision to plunge the nation into war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a cataclysmal landslide that virtually wiped out the village
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in turbulent
marked by sudden or violent disturbance
the French Revolution was one of the great cataclysmal events in modern history
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cataclysmal
Adjective
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Apple had seemed to resolve this with its Private Cloud Compute, but then its disastrous Apple Intelligence delays made all that somewhat academic for the time being at least.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025 -
But what could have been a disastrous situation from the jump has the looks of becoming a positive for Báez and the Tigers.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This detonation will spew material at the other white dwarf, triggering the same devastating sequence.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 Apr. 2025
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The fight has dealt devastating blows to markets with more pain seemingly on the way on Wednesday.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Overanalyzing every win and loss will make your journey feel more turbulent than necessary.—
Nelson Chu,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Interesting, turbulent life (including 22 years in prison).—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Black lung, a debilitating and often fatal condition caused by inhalation of coal and silica dust during mining, affects roughly 1 in 5 miners who have worked in the Central Appalachian mines for twenty-five years or more, according to NIOSH.—
Dr. Mark Abdelmalek,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2025
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The day of the fatal fall, Goodwin said Bass had checked on Tidus and his brother minutes prior, and then had stepped outside with the dog.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cataclysmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cataclysmal. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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