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 called: sexual climax. (esp in referring to women) another word for orgasm

verb

1. to reach or bring to a climax

Other Word Forms

• hyperclimax noun
• unclimaxed 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

But while the revelation that brings the play to a painful climax has a faint whiff of contrivance about it, the angry confrontation that ensues between Nelson and Nick has a bruising, brutal power.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Universal substantially increased the budget and abandoned underground racing for an “Ocean’s 11”-style heist that climaxed with a car racing through Rio de Janeiro while dragging a bank vault.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

From there, the score remained 3-2 until the sixth inning — when the game climaxed in two memorable sequences.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In the cinema she cried at the movie's climax, when Norma weaved through a crowd outside her house to find her half-dressed husband and mother in the room.

Read more on BBC

This week tensions flared at a rally in London, the world of boxing paid tribute to Ricky Hatton, and cult show The Summer I Turned Pretty reached its climax.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• capstone 
• turning point 

When To Use

What does climax mean?

A climax is the most intense, decisive point of something, especially in a story or film.