anticlimax

American  

[an-ti-klahy-maks] / ˌæn tɪˈklaɪ mæks /

noun

1. an event, conclusion, statement, etc., that is far less important, powerful, or striking than expected.

2. a descent in power, quality, dignity, etc.; a disappointing, weak, or inglorious conclusion.

   After serving as president, he may find life in retirement an anticlimax.

3. a noticeable or ludicrous descent from lofty ideas or expressions to banalities or commonplace remarks.

   We were amused by the anticlimax of the company's motto: “For God, for country, and for Acme Gasworks.”

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anticlimax British  

/ ˌæntɪklaɪˈmæktɪk, ˌæntɪˈklaɪmæks /

noun

1. a disappointing or ineffective conclusion to a series of events, etc

2. a sudden change from a serious subject to one that is disappointing or ludicrous

3. rhetoric a descent in discourse from the significant or important to the trivial, inconsequential, etc

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Other Word Forms

• anticlimactic
  adjective
• anticlimactically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of anticlimax

First recorded in 1720–30; anti- + climax

Explanation

If you think you’re approaching the high point, but then realize it’s really the low point, that’s an anticlimax — a moment when excitement quickly changes to disappointment. In a movie or book, a climax is the point where, after a long buildup, everything gets really intense and dramatic. But if there’s a lot of buildup and then suddenly something really boring happens, that’s an anticlimax. Like waiting all day to see fireworks, but then nobody has any matches. It can also mean discussing something important like war or art, and then someone interrupts to talk about candy. Talk about a letdown.

Example Sentences

In the end, the whole ruse felt like a bit of an anticlimax, but it did at least add extra spice to the start of the series.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

And a final 10-game stretch against their closest rivals, keenly anticipated for weeks, turned into a massive anticlimax.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 30, 2023

It’s the kind of near-miss that could feel, in unsurer hands, like an anticlimax.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2023

The world-ending conflagration Wagner intended for the ending was a fire-free anticlimax at the bottom of an empty pool.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2023

We had hiked twenty-two miles in two days—a highly respectable distance for us—but a distinct listlessness and sense of anticlimax, a kind of midmountain lassitude, had set in.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• letdown