culmination

American  

[kuhl-muh-ney-shuhn] / ˌkʌl məˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or fact of culminating.

2. that in which anything culminates; the culminating position or stage; highest point; acme.

   Synonyms:

   summit, peak, zenith, climax

3. Astronomy. the position of a celestial body when it is on the meridian.

---

culmination British  

/ ˌkʌlmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the final, highest, or decisive point

2. the act of culminating

3. astronomy the highest or lowest altitude attained by a heavenly body as it crosses the meridian

---

Other Word Forms

• nonculmination noun

Etymology

Origin of culmination

1625–35; < Medieval Latin culminātiōn-, stem of culminātiō; see culminate, -ion

Explanation

The culmination is the end point or final stage of something you've been working toward or something that's been building up. The culmination of your high school career, for example, should be graduation day — and probably not prom night. A culmination isn't just the conclusion. It's the climax of the story, the final crowning achievement, the end result of years of research. “Life is a culmination of the past, an awareness of the present, an indication of a future beyond knowledge, the quality that gives a touch of divinity to matter,” said Charles Lindbergh, the first solo pilot to fly nonstop across the Atlantic — a feat that was surely the culmination of his aviation career.

Example Sentences

But investigations precede recalls, which are the culmination of investigations.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

“This is the culmination of a two-year-long effort to get some justice for the Sandy Hook families,” Collins said in a LinkedIn post.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

And the culmination of that product, superintelligence, is still likely years away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Inspired by mushrooms, coral reefs and a renegade aesthetic influenced more by experience than formal education, it’s the culmination of 25 years of learning and design for the Pennsylvania-born, California-based Flemming brothers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Was this the culmination of all his plans, all his yearning, all his work, all his waiting, for a long, long year?

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

Related Words

• apex
• climax
• completion
• pinnacle