Apocalyptic
adjective /əˌpɒkəˈlɪptɪk/ — Resembling or suggesting the end of the world — overwhelming, revelatory, and final.
Definition
Describing or prophesying the complete and final destruction of the world; resembling the end of the world in its violence or chaos; also, of or relating to revelation or disclosure.
Beyond the definition
Apocalyptic is a word that has migrated from theology to metaphor — we now use it for any event that feels world-ending, even when only a small world ends. Its original meaning was actually about revelation, not destruction: the apocalypse as the lifting of the veil.
Origin & history
From Greek apokalyptikos — revelatory (from apo: un + kalyptein: to cover). To uncover — the apocalypse is not destruction first but revelation. What is hidden becomes visible, and the visibility changes everything.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The sky at sunset was apocalyptic — fiery, enormous, impossible to look away from.
She described the meeting in apocalyptic terms that later seemed proportionate to what actually happened.
The original apocalypse is a revelation, not an ending — though the two tend to arrive together.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Apocalyptic” when the meaning fits your context: Describing or prophesying the complete and final destruction of the world; resembling the end of the world in its violence or chaos; also, of or relating to revelation or disclosure.
Synonyms
catastrophic, cataclysmic, revelatory, end-times, devastating
Antonyms
mundane, ordinary, routine
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Aftermath of storm damage
Neighbours restore a storm-damaged garden, staking a bent plant beside broken branches and a cracked planter.
The scene of destruction left by the storm, while hopeful in restoration, resembles a catastrophic event. It captures the chaos of an apocalyptic scene in a small, domestic scale.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Apocalyptic" mean?
Apocalyptic is adjective meaning: Resembling or suggesting the end of the world — overwhelming, revelatory, and final.. Describing or prophesying the complete and final destruction of the world; resembling the end of the world in its violence or chaos; also, of or relating to revelation or disclosure.
Where does the word "Apocalyptic" come from?
From Greek apokalyptikos — revelatory (from apo: un + kalyptein: to cover). To uncover — the apocalypse is not destruction first but revelation. What is hidden becomes visible, and the visibility changes everything.