apocalyptic

From Ancient Greek ἀποκαλυπτικός (apokaluptikós, “revelatory”), from ἀποκαλύπτειν (apokalúptein, “to reveal, uncover”), from ἀπό (apó, “off”) + καλύπτειν (kalúptein, “to cover”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈpɒ.kə.lɪp.tɪk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

apocalyptic (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to an apocalypse:
   1. (revelation) Revelatory; prophetic.
      • 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:

        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.

      • 1985, Donald A. Hagner, Apocalyptic Motifs in the Gospel of Matthew: Continuity and Discontinuity, page 92:

        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."

      • 2002, Peter W. Smith, In the Day of the Lord: The Exciting and Promised Fulfillment, page 7:

        This was because apocalyptic stories — from the Greek word apohalupsis which means "reveal" — uses the vocabulary of symbols and numbers and contains concealed messages that secular listeners cannot comprehend.

      • 2019 November 3, Andrew Anthony, quoting David Mitchell, “David Mitchell: ‘I have no reason to have these apocalyptic musings’”, in The Observer‎, →ISSN:

        “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.”

   2. (disaster)
      • 1919, Arthur Hamilton Gibbs, Gun Fodder: The Diary of Four Years of War‎, Little, Brown, page 276:

        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.

      • 2001, Richard A. Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark's Gospel, page 122:

        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, […] "

      • 2010, Philip Leroy Culbertson, Elaine Mary Wainwright, Bible in Popular Culture, page 184:

        These bookends house a wealth of apocalyptic stories. The Bible, like some street preacher with a sign, shouts, "The end is near!"

      • 2019 January 14, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-2935 - O, Death” (0:07 from the start), in The Exploring Series‎, archived from the original on 25 March 2023:

        Life in the SCP universe continually hangs by a thread, threatened constantly by the existence of a number of dangerous and apocalyptic anomalies. These threats are countered and contained by the existence of organizations such as the SCP Foundation or the Global Occult Coalition.

      • 2021 May 5, Drachinifel, 42:53 from the start, in Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?‎, archived from the original on 19 August 2022:

        […] and the pillar of smoke which had recently begun to dissipate, as many of the fires amidships had been smothered by the onrushing water, was replaced by a vast mushroom cloud of steam, smoke, flame, and debris as the magazines detonated. In the pall of this apocalyptic destruction, the U.S. fleet takes stock.

2. Portending a future apocalypse (disaster, devastation, or doom).
3. Catachresis for apoplectic.

   He was apocalyptically furious.

• nonapocalyptic

apocalyptic (plural apocalyptics)

1. One who predicts apocalypse.

• apocalypticist
• doomsayer