anticlimax
Americannoun
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an event, conclusion, statement, etc., that is far less important, powerful, or striking than expected.
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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.
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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.”
noun
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a disappointing or ineffective conclusion to a series of events, etc
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a sudden change from a serious subject to one that is disappointing or ludicrous
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rhetoric a descent in discourse from the significant or important to the trivial, inconsequential, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anticlimax
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.
Vocabulary lists containing anticlimax
Power Prefix: Anti
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Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Advanced
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Reading: Literature - Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Describing July 4, 1776, as an anticlimax might strike a dissonant note for most Americans.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
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
Obviously, another book at this time about exactly the same subject would be a sad anticlimax!
From Salon • Oct. 15, 2024
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
I have known too much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
