Adjacent Words

cataclysm definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a sudden violent change in the earth's surface [syn: catastrophe, cataclysm]
2: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; "the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the earthquake was a disaster" [syn: calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy, cataclysm]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmos, from Greek kataklysmos, from kataklyzein to inundate, from kata- + klyzein to wash — more at clyster Date: 1599 1. flood, deluge 2. catastrophe 3a 3. a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition; broadly an event that brings great changes • cataclysmal or cataclysmic adjective • cataclysmically adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a a violent, esp. social or political, upheaval or disaster. b a great change. 2 a great flood or deluge. Derivatives: cataclysmal adj. cataclysmic adj. cataclysmically adv. Etymology: F cataclysme f. L cataclysmus f. Gk kataklusmos f. klusmos flood f. kluzo wash

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cataclysm Cat"a*clysm, n. [L. cataclysmos, Gr. kataklysmo`s, from ? to dash over, inundate; kata` downward, against + ? to wash or dash over: cf. F. cataclysme.] 1. An extensive overflow or sweeping flood of water; a deluge. 2. (Geol.) Any violent catastrophe, involving sudden and extensive changes of the earth's surface.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(cataclysms) A cataclysm is an event that causes great change or harm. (FORMAL) N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Inundation, deluge, overflow, flood. 2. (Geol.) Catastrophe, overwhelming change.

Moby Thesaurus

accident, alluvion, alluvium, apoplexy, bloodless revolution, blow, bouleversement, breakdown, breaking up, breakup, calamity, casualty, cataract, catastrophe, cave, cave-in, clean slate, clean sweep, climax, collapse, collision, computer revolution, contretemps, convulsion, counterrevolution, crack-up, crash, debacle, deluge, diastrophism, disaster, engulfment, fit, flood, flooding, grief, ill hap, inundation, misadventure, mischance, misfortune, mishap, nasty blow, overflow, overflowing, overrunning, overthrow, overturn, palace revolution, paroxysm, pileup, pour, quake, radical change, revolt, revolution, revolutionary war, revulsion, shipwreck, shock, smash, smashup, spasm, spate, spill, spillage, staggering blow, striking alteration, stroke, submersion, subversion, sweeping change, tabula rasa, technological revolution, temblor, the Deluge, the Flood, tidal wave, torrent, total change, total loss, tragedy, transilience, tsunami, upheaval, upset, violent change, washout, whelming, wrack, wreck