climax

[ klahy-maks ]

noun

1. the highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something; culmination:

   His career reached its climax when he was elected president.

   Synonyms: apex, acme, zenith, summit

2. (in a dramatic or literary work) a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot.
3. Rhetoric.
   1. a figure consisting of a series of related ideas so arranged that each surpasses the preceding in force or intensity.
   2. the last term or member of this figure.
4. an orgasm.
5. Ecology. the stable and self-perpetuating end stage in the ecological succession or evolution of a plant and animal community.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to bring to or reach a climax.

climax

/ ˈklaɪmæks /

noun

1. the most intense or highest point of an experience or of a series of events

   the party was the climax of the week

2. a decisive moment in a dramatic or other work
3. a rhetorical device by which a series of sentences, clauses, or phrases are arranged in order of increasing intensity
4. ecology the stage in the development of a community during which it remains stable under the prevailing environmental conditions
5. Also calledsexual climax (esp in referring to women) another word for orgasm

verb

1. to reach or bring to a climax

Other Words From

• hyper·climax noun
• un·climaxed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of climax¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin, from Greek klîmax “ladder,” akin to klī́nein “to lean”

Word History and Origins

Origin of climax¹

C16: from Late Latin, from Greek klimax ladder

Example Sentences

And it is that climax where the book and the film diverge the most, and which will probably upset the most people.

From The Daily Beast

[Laughs] I should have said, “Well, this is certainly a climax!”

From The Daily Beast

But then, as the song reaches its climax, the Marines explode.

From The Daily Beast

But not even Cap can escape the dreaded generic climax of the modern day superhero flick.

From The Daily Beast

The percussion rolls like thunder, the woodwinds climax, the camera swoops upward, and we see the brass plaque: The Olive Garden.

From The Daily Beast

On to Gaba Tepe just in time to see the opening, the climax and the end of the dreaded Turkish counter attack.

From Project Gutenberg

She was a grown young woman when she was overtaken by what she supposed to be the climax of her fate.

From Project Gutenberg

The climax was reached when a most offensive policeman in a dictatorial manner ordered me to 'Move on.'

From Project Gutenberg

A talk with this enigmatical cousin would be a proper climax to the triumphs of the night.

From Project Gutenberg

That last moment, as she stepped lightly over the threshold of the library, was a sort of climax to the intoxication of youth.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• capstone
• turning point