Learn English – word for the moment when the ground falls out from beneath your feet

single-word-requests

Looking for a word to describe that moment when you realize everything is falling apart. You are going along in your life and everything is ok and then suddenly, you realize it is really not. This would be for an event akin to you think you're happily married and then your spouse files for divorce; you think your boss is a great, upright person and then you realize they were embezzling money and the company is folding, etc. Not so much for a natural disaster, if that changes any potential answers,

Best Answer

In some cases, cataclysm (“A sudden, violent event”) will work. Also consider:
crisis (“A crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point”)
turning point, “A decisive point at which a significant change or historical event occurs, or at which a decision must be made”
crossroads, “A decision point; a turning point or opportunity to change direction, course, or goal”
watershed, “A critical point marking a change in course or development”