post-apocalyptic
Following civilization's collapse
Post-apocalyptic describes settings, stories, or scenarios that take place after a catastrophic event has destroyed civilization as we know it.
The apocalypse in question might be nuclear war, pandemic, asteroid impact, or zombie outbreak—the specific cause matters less than the aftermath of societal collapse.
The term appears most often in fiction: a post-apocalyptic novel, post-apocalyptic video games.
These narratives typically explore themes of survival, scarcity, and the rebuilding or further deterioration of human society.
Mad Max and The Road are touchstones of the genre.
State of complete emptiness
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- rubbleBroken building fragments
- debrisScattered broken fragments
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
barrenness · fallout · decay · abandoned · derelict · overgrown · dilapidated · crumbled
Violent, large-scale disaster
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- decimationNear-total destruction
- depopulationLoss of inhabitants
pandemic · lawlessness · anarchy · scarcity · famine · exodus · contagion · fallout
Gathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
- shelterProtected place or structure
- huntingPursuing wild game
trapping · self-defense · evasion · bushcraft · survivalist · resourcefulness · hoarding · bartering
Post-apocalyptic gaming franchise
- WaterworldDrowned planet setting
- ThreadsStrands for sewing
- cyberpunkDystopian tech-noir fiction
- dieselpunkRetrofuturism through 1930s aesthetics
Rebuilding after destruction
- renewalMaking current again
- restorationReturning something to condition
- resurgenceReturn after dormancy
- revivalReturn after decline
recovery · rebirth · repopulation · resettlement · recolonization · commune · settlement · civilization
Dictatorial, all-controlling regime
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- tyrannyOppressive, absolute governance
- regimeSystem of governance
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
propaganda · authoritarian · dictatorship · subjugation · warlord · faction · militia · overlord
Enduring courage under pain
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- tenacityPersistent grip or resolve
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
- hardinessAbility to endure adversity
toughness · determination · persistence · endurance · adaptability · resourcefulness · indomitable · unbreakable
desolation
State of complete emptiness
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- rubbleBroken building fragments
- debrisScattered broken fragments
ruins · barrenness · fallout · decay · abandoned · derelict · overgrown · dilapidated · crumbled · forsaken
cataclysm
Violent, large-scale disaster
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- decimationNear-total destruction
depopulation · pandemic · lawlessness · anarchy · scarcity · famine · exodus · contagion · fallout · ground-zero
scavenging
Gathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
- shelterProtected place or structure
hunting · trapping · self-defense · evasion · bushcraft · survivalist · resourcefulness · hoarding · bartering · makeshift
Fallout
Post-apocalyptic gaming franchise
- WaterworldDrowned planet setting
- ThreadsStrands for sewing
- cyberpunkDystopian tech-noir fiction
dieselpunk · cli-fi · zombie · mutant · raider
reconstruction
Rebuilding after destruction
- renewalMaking current again
- restorationReturning something to condition
- resurgenceReturn after dormancy
revival · recovery · rebirth · repopulation · resettlement · recolonization · commune · settlement · civilization · governance
totalitarian
Dictatorial, all-controlling regime
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- tyrannyOppressive, absolute governance
- regimeSystem of governance
surveillance · propaganda · authoritarian · dictatorship · subjugation · warlord · faction · militia · overlord · stratification
fortitude
Enduring courage under pain
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- tenacityPersistent grip or resolve
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
hardiness · toughness · determination · persistence · endurance · adaptability · resourcefulness · indomitable · unbreakable · steadfastness
- genre fictionhigh fantasy, detective fiction, low fantasy, spy fiction, dark fantasy
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- sci-fiscience fiction, Star Wars, sci-fi, Blade Runner 2049, aliens
- speculative fictionsci-fi, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, futurism
- fiction genresfiction, fantasy, novel, horror, thrillers
post-apocalypticutopian
Impractically perfect in conception
civilized · idyllic · flourishing · paradisiacal · edenic