denouement

Or dé·noue·ment

[dey-noo-mahn]

noun

1. the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.

2. the place in the plot at which this occurs.

3. the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences.

   Synonyms: upshot, end, conclusion, solution

denouement

/ deɪˈnuːmɒn, denumɑ̃ /

noun

1. 1. the final clarification or resolution of a plot in a play or other work

   2. the point at which this occurs

2. final outcome; solution

dénouement

1. The solution or outcome of the plot of a play or novel: “In the dénouement of many tragedies, the main character dies.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of dénouement¹

First recorded in 1745–55; from French: literally, “an untying,” equivalent to dénouer “to untie,” Old French desnoer ( des- + noer “to knot,” from Latin nōdāre, derivative of nōdus “knot”) + -ment; de-, -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of dénouement¹

C18: from French, literally: an untying, from dénouer to untie, from Old French desnoer, from des- _de- + noer to tie, knot, from Latin nōdāre, from nōdus a knot; see _node

Example Sentences

There is hope here and across the region that there may soon be a denouement to the war.

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An intriguing denouement confirms that readers of icons from Charles Dickens to Anne Perry can do no better than spending time with Charles Lenox, his family and ever-widening circle of friends.

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Surely, you think, when we get to the denouement, Anderson will put a few words on the screen letting us know if everyone is OK.

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Weren't your deficiencies up front - and pretty much everywhere else - evident for months before your denouement with Brugge and the brutality of what followed?

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A stray orange cat; a séance in a hostel; a “nearsighted galoot” who decodes cryptic messages from Radio Pyongyang; flashlights that aren’t just flashlights — these bread crumbs guide us to the novel’s denouement.

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Related Words

• climax 
• culmination 
• finale