1. a sudden violent change or disaster that affects many people
2. a violent natural event such as a flood or earthquake
Usage: geological

Examples

• The war was a cataclysm that changed the entire region.
• Economic collapse brought cataclysm to millions of families.
• The earthquake was a geological cataclysm that reshaped the landscape.
• Historians debate whether the plague was the greatest cataclysm of the medieval period.
• The volcanic eruption caused a cataclysm that buried entire cities.
• Social media has created a cataclysm in how people communicate.
• The asteroid impact was a cataclysm that ended the age of dinosaurs.