apocalyptical
|a-poc-a-lyp-ti-cal|
🇺🇸
/əˌpɑkəˈlɪptɪkəl/
🇬🇧
/əˌpɒkəˈlɪptɪkəl/
revelation / end-of-world
Etymology
'apocalyptical' ultimately derives from Greek 'apokálypsis' (ἀποκάλυψις), where the prefix 'apo-' meant 'away, off' and 'kalyptō' meant 'to cover' (so 'uncovering' or 'revelation').
'apokálypsis' passed into Late Latin as 'apocalypsis' and then into Middle English as 'apocalypse'; the adjective forms 'apocalyptic' and later 'apocalyptical' developed in English to describe things relating to revelation or the end of the world.
Originally it meant 'an uncovering' or 'a revelation,' but over time the sense shifted toward 'events of the end of the world' or 'catastrophic destruction,' which is the dominant modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of an apocalypse or the Book of Revelation; prophetic or revelatory in tone.
The poem had an apocalyptical quality, full of visions and prophetic imagery.
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Adjective 2
describing large-scale, catastrophic, or world-ending destruction; doom-laden or devastating.
The flood left apocalyptical damage in its wake, destroying entire neighborhoods.
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Adjective 3
used figuratively to describe something extremely dramatic, ominous, or decisive in effect.
Critics described the film's final sequence as apocalyptical in its intensity.
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Last updated: 2025/09/18 23:14