Dictionary.com

peripeteia

[ per-uh-pi-tahy-uh, -tee-uh ]
/ ˌpɛr ə pɪˈtaɪ ə, -ˈti ə /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for peripeteia on Thesaurus.com
noun
a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal, especially in a literary work.
QUIZ
CUDDLE UP! A COZY QUIZ ON FALL WORDS HAS ARRIVED
If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.
Question 1 of 10
Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?
crisp
crepitate
fuscous
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Meet Grammar CoachWrite or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help
Also per·i·pe·ti·a, pe·rip·e·ty [puh-rip-i-tee]. /pəˈrɪp ɪ ti/.

Origin of peripeteia

1585–95; <Greek peripéteia sudden change, equivalent to peripet(ḗs) literally, falling round (peri-peri- + pet-, base of píptein to fall) + -eia-y3

Words nearby peripeteia

periovaritis, peripachymeningitis, peripancreatitis, peripatetic, peripatus, peripeteia, peripherad, peripheral, peripheral device, peripheral dysostosis, peripheralism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to peripeteia

culmination, twist, critical point, climax, juncture, crux, axis, change, contingency, crisis, critical mass, crossing, crossroads, crunch, cusp, defining moment, development, emergency, exigency, high noon

How to use peripeteia in a sentence

  • Now then for anagnorisis, comic peripeteia, division into acts, and the rest of the wallet!

    Two Sides of the Face|Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for peripeteia

peripeteia

peripetia peripety (pəˈrɪpətɪ)

/ (ˌpɛrɪpɪˈtaɪə, -ˈtɪə) /
noun
(esp in drama) an abrupt turn of events or reversal of circumstances

Derived forms of peripeteia

peripeteian or peripetian, adjective

Word Origin for peripeteia

C16: from Greek, from peri- + piptein to fall (to change suddenly, literally: to fall around)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK