apocalypse
apocalypse — noun
1. an event or period that causes huge damage and completely changes normal life
an event or period that causes huge damage and completely changes normal life
Many farmers feared the long drought would bring an apocalypse.
bring + apocalypse in figurative use
Friday's cyberattack felt like an apocalypse for three small town hospitals.
After the flood, the town looked as if an apocalypse had come.
For airport workers at Taoyuan, the travel shutdown was an economic apocalypse.
The film shows New York after an apocalypse leaves streets dark and empty.
- disaster
more general and less dramatic
- catastrophe
formal and often used for very serious events
- collapse
focuses on a system or structure breaking down
文法句型
an apocalypse
bring an apocalypse
用法筆記
Often used figuratively for war, disease, climate disaster, or financial collapse, not only for the literal end of the world. Common with dramatic modifiers such as nuclear, zombie, or economic.
常見錯誤
2. the world's final destruction in Biblical teaching, when evil is defeated
the world's final destruction in Biblical teaching, when evil is defeated
At Sunday service, some preachers warned that the apocalypse was near.
the apocalypse + be near
The novel imagines red skies and falling stars before the apocalypse.
Medieval artists painted angels announcing the apocalypse to frightened crowds.
Dr. Lin studies how early Christians described the apocalypse in letters and sermons.
In the sermon, the pastor linked war and famine to the apocalypse.
- Armageddon
strongly tied to the last battle at the end of the world
- doomsday
more informal and broader in everyday use
- Judgment Day
focuses on divine judgment rather than destruction itself
文法句型
the apocalypse
用法筆記
Usually used with the when speakers mean the Biblical event. Distinguish from sense 1, which is often figurative and can describe any extremely destructive situation.