cataclysmic

English

Etymology

From cataclysm +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌkætəˈklɪzmɪk/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Adjective

cataclysmic (comparative more cataclysmic, superlative most cataclysmic)

  1. Of or pertaining to a cataclysm; causing great destruction or upheaval; catastrophic.
    It is believed that a cataclysmic impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
    • 2005, Edmund White, My Women[1], archived from the original on 4 December 2012:
      That’s why to be rejected in love was so cataclysmic: one had been judged and found wanting.

Derived terms

Translations