cataclysm.

An event of violent, far-reaching destruction or upheaval that drastically alters an existing order.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a global cataclysm
• the aftermath of a cataclysm

On the page

The global cataclysm survived in the record only as a gap between two calendars.

In the aftermath of the cataclysm, the coast no longer matched the oldest maps.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror. Forms: Singular cataclysm; plural cataclysms. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.