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cat·a·clysm
 cataclysm
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- pronunciation:
- kae
t
klI
zm
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun), Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a violent natural event, esp. an upheaval causing a sudden change in the earth's crust, or a great flood.
No city can ever be fully prepared for a cataclysm such as a major earthquake.- synonyms:
- calamity, catastrophe, disaster, upheaval
- similar words:
- avalanche, debacle, deluge, devastation, earthquake, flood, quake
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| definition 2: |
a tremendous upheaval in human affairs, such as sudden and extreme social or political change.
How many lives were lost in the cataclysm that was the French Revolution?- synonyms:
- revolution, turmoil, upheaval
- similar words:
- blow, catastrophe, coup d'état, debacle, devastation, firestorm, tempest
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| related words: |
calamity, cataract, disaster, holocaust, violence |
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| derivations: |
cataclysmal (adj.), cataclysmic (adj.), cataclysmically (adv.) |
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