Synonyms for cataclysm
ˈkæt əˌklɪz əmcat·a·c·lysm

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cataclysm

   A cataclysm or catastrophe is some great convulsion or momentous event that may or may not be a cause of misery to man. In calamity, or disaster, the thought of human suffering is always present. It has been held by many geologists that numerous catastrophes or cataclysms antedated the existence of man. In literature, the final event of a drama is the catastrophe, or denouement. Misfortune ordinarily suggests less of suddenness and violence than calamity or disaster, and is especially applied to that which is lingering or enduring in its effects. In history, the end of every great war or the fall of a nation is a catastrophe, tho it may not be a calamity. Yet such an event, if not a calamity to the race, will always involve much individual disaster and misfortune. Pestilence is a calamity; a defeat in battle, a shipwreck, or a failure in business is a disaster; sickness or loss of property is a misfortune; failure to meet a friend is a mischance; the breaking of a teacup is a mishap.

   Synonyms:
   calamity, catastrophe, denouement, disaster, mischance, misfortune, mishap, sequel

   Antonyms:
   benefit, blessing, boon, comfort, favor, help, pleasure, privilege, prosperity, success

   Preposition:
   The catastrophe of a play; of a siege; rarely, to a person, etc.

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. catastrophe, cataclysmnoun

   a sudden violent change in the earth's surface

   Synonyms:
   disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, calamity

2. calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy, cataclysmnoun

   an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

   "the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the earthquake was a disaster"

   Synonyms:
   disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, calamity

Matched Categories

1. • Geological Phenomenon

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cataclysmnoun

   Synonyms:
   inundation, deluge, overflow, flood

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "cataclysm":

   meltdown, disaster, upheaval

How to pronounce cataclysm?

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How to use cataclysm in a sentence?

1. Edward Gray:

   Every time Europeans did this, it was an absolute cataclysm, there was no record of anyone exploring the Pacific without massive loss of life.