# apocalyptic

/əˌpɑkəˈɫɪptɪk/ (US) · /ɐpˌɒkɐlˈɪptɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/apocalyptic
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. catastrophic or end-of-world

adjective · CEFR B2

describing a very large disaster that seems like the end of the world.

For teachers: relating to or resembling a complete and final destruction of the world; often used to describe catastrophic modern events.

- The city looked apocalyptic after the massive storm destroyed all the buildings.
- The film depicts an apocalyptic landscape where survivors must scavenge for resources in the ruins of a once-great civilization.

### 2. religious revelation

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

relating to religious stories that describe the end of time or hidden secrets.

For teachers: pertaining to a genre of prophetic literature that details the final judgment and the end of the world through symbolic visions.

- The book of Revelation is the most famous apocalyptic text in the Bible.
- Scholars often compare apocalyptic traditions across different cultures to understand how ancient societies conceptualized the end of history.

### 3. a person who predicts doom

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal

someone who predicts that the world is going to end soon.

For teachers: a person who predicts or warns of an impending apocalypse or total societal collapse.

- He was known as an apocalyptic who spent his life warning people about the coming disaster.
- The fringe group was led by a self-styled apocalyptic who claimed to have received visions of the planet's final days.

## Examples

- The news felt apocalyptic to everyone.
- The apocalyptic storm destroyed the entire coastal town.
- The film's apocalyptic landscape, stripped of all vegetation and life, served as a stark warning about unchecked industrial pollution.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.