Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

catastrophism

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.34 in modern English

Syllables
catas-trophism
IPA
22
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The doctrine that sudden catastrophes, rather than continuous change, cause the main features of the Earth's crust.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The doctrine that, in addition to the more gradual effects of evolution, huge catastrophic events shape the earth's flora and fauna by causing major die-offs which make way for the emergence of new organisms.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The practice or tendency of catastrophizing, regarding bad things as catastrophic.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From catastrophe + -ism, coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1837.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

catastrophist anastrophism

Antonyms

Questions

What does catastrophism mean?
The doctrine that sudden catastrophes, rather than continuous change, cause the main features of the Earth's crust.
Where does catastrophism come from?
From catastrophe + -ism, coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1837.

How to pronounce catastrophism

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