apocalyptic

/əˈpɒ.kə.lɪp.tɪk/

apocalyptic adjective: revelatory; prophetic.

Adjective

apocalyptic (not comparable)

Revelatory; prophetic.
- Let him go and make, and burn, a pile or two [of bricks] with his own hands; he will thereby receive apocalyptic visions of a nature novel to his soul.1876, John Ruskin, “Letter LXIV”, in Fors Clavigera. Letters to the Workmen and Labourers of Great Britain, volume VI, Orpington, Kent: George Allen, →OCLC, page 116
- From beginning to end, and throughout, the Gospel makes such frequent use of apocalyptic motifs and the apocalyptic viewpoint that it deserves to be called the apocalyptic Gospel."1985, Donald A. Hagner, Apocalyptic Motifs in the Gospel of Matthew: Continuity and Discontinuity, page 92
(figuratively) Catastrophic; disastrous.
- For the first time since the show began, a sense of utter loneliness overwhelmed me, a bitter despair at the uselessness of individual effort in this gigantic tragedy of apocalyptic destruction.1919, Arthur Hamilton Gibbs, Gun Fodder: The Diary of Four Years of War, Little, Brown, page 276
- In fact, interpreters commonly declare that Mark is an "apocalyptic" Gospel. When they read Jesus' long speech toward the end of the Gospel (chap. 13), they even detect a veritable "apocalypse": "Wars and rumors of wars, […]"2001, Richard A. Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark's Gospel, page 122
Portending a future apocalypse (disaster, devastation, or doom).
- Submissions on the part of gay teachers and students and organizations were countered by apocalyptic denunciations on the part of Bible-toting mothers and fathers expertly organized by the right.1981 February 14, Alexander Wilson, “The New Right Attacks Childhood Sexuality: A Canadian Perspective”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 6
- Shortly after the publication of When Prophecy Fails, Hardyck and Braden (1962) investigated an apocalyptic group of Pentecostals to see if the failed apocalypse would result in enduring conviction and proselytization, but it did not.2025 October 13, Thomas Kelly, “Debunking “When Prophecy Fails””, in Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences
Catachresis for apoplectic.
- He was apocalyptically furious.

Noun

apocalyptic (plural apocalyptics)

One who predicts apocalypse.

Synonyms:

apocalypticist, doomsayer

apocalyptic meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

apocalyptic in Hindi

सर्वनाशकारी, सर्वनाशवादी

apocalyptic in Tamil

அபோகாலிப்டிக், அபோகலிப்டிக்

apocalyptic in Marathi

अपोकॅलिप्टिक, एपोकॅलिप्टिक, अपोकॅलिप्टीक

apocalyptic in Urdu

الہامی, کشفی

More languagesFewer languages

apocalyptic in Bengali: সর্বনাশা, ধ্বংসাত্মক
apocalyptic in Telugu: అపోకలిప్టిక్, అపోకాలిప్టిక్, అపోక్యాలిప్టిక్
apocalyptic in Malayalam: അപോകലിപ്റ്റിക്, അപോകാലിപ്റ്റിക്, അപ്പോക്കലിപ്റ്റിക്
apocalyptic in Kannada: ಅಪೋಕ್ಯಾಲಿಪ್ಟಿಕ್, ಅಪೋಕಾಲಿಪ್ಟಿಕ್, ಅಪೋಕಲಿಪ್ಟಿಕ್
apocalyptic in Punjabi: ਅਪੋਕੈਲਿਪਟਿਕ, ਅਪੋਕੈਲਿਪ੍ਟਿਕ, ਅਪੋਕੇਲਿਪਟਿਕ
apocalyptic in Gujarati: એપોકેલિપ્ટિક, અપોકેલિપ્ટિક
apocalyptic in Odia: ଅପୋକାଲିପ୍ଟିକ୍, ଅପୋକାଲିପଟିକ୍, ଅପୋକ୍ଯାଲିପ୍ଟିକ୍
apocalyptic in Nepali: एपोक्यालिप्टिक, एपोकेलिप्टिक, अपोक्यालिप्टिक

Examples of apocalyptic in a sentence

“It’s true that as I walk out of my house in a nice quiet street and go to a nice cafe five minutes’ walk away, I have no reason to have these apocalyptic musings.”2019 November 3, Andrew Anthony, quoting David Mitchell, “David Mitchell: ‘I have no reason to have these apocalyptic musings’”, in The...
These bookends house a wealth of apocalyptic stories.2010, Philip Leroy Culbertson, Elaine Mary Wainwright, Bible in Popular Culture, page 184:
Life in the SCP universe continually hangs by a thread, threatened constantly by the existence of a number of dangerous and apocalyptic anomalies.2019 January 14, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-2935 - O, Death” (0:07 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the...
In the pall of this apocalyptic destruction, the U.S. fleet takes stock.2021 May 5, Drachinifel, 42:53 from the start, in Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2022:

All 27 example sentences with apocalyptic

Synonyms of apocalyptic

Antonyms

nonapocalyptic

Forms of apocalyptic

plural	apocalyptics

Origin of apocalyptic

Borrowed from Latin apocalypticus, from Ancient Greek ἀποκαλυπτικός (apokaluptikós, “revelatory”), from ἀποκάλυψις (apokálupsis, “revelation”), from ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalúptō, “to reveal, uncover”).

Words formed from apocalyptic

Phrases with apocalyptic

apocalyptic numbers

Questions about apocalyptic

What does apocalyptic mean?: Apocalyptic means revelatory; prophetic.
What is apocalyptic in Hindi?: Apocalyptic in Hindi is सर्वनाशकारी, सर्वनाशवादी. See Apocalyptic meaning in Hindi.
How do you use apocalyptic in a sentence?: “It’s true that as I walk out of my house in a nice quiet street and go to a nice cafe five minutes’ walk away, I have no reason to have these apocalyptic musings.”
What part of speech is apocalyptic?: Apocalyptic can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce apocalyptic?: Apocalyptic is pronounced /əˈpɒ.kə.lɪp.tɪk/ (UK).

Words near apocalyptic in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

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Cite this entry: “apocalyptic.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/apocalyptic. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.