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.”

---

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

---

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

Pulp guitarist Mark Webber told 6 Music's Lauren Laverne the show had been "a slight anticlimax, to be honest".

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2025

Eilish and her brother worked “What Was I Made For?” so hard over this awards cycle that the song’s tolling chords almost felt like an anticlimax as O’Connell started into them once again Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2024

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

But as quickly as the crisis began, it ended abruptly in a type of anticlimax one day later as Prigozhin's forces stopped their march on Moscow, stood down, and agreed to return to their barracks.

From Salon • Jul. 3, 2023

This seemed to Mrs. Hubbard to be a dramatic climax rather than an anticlimax.

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

Related Words

• letdown