pinnacle

American  

[pin-uh-kuhl] / ˈpɪn ə kəl /

noun

1. a lofty peak.

2. the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc..

   the pinnacle of one's career.

   Synonyms:

   zenith, summit, peak, acme, apex

   Antonyms:

   nadir

3. any pointed, towering part or formation, as of rock.

   Synonyms:

   needle

4. Architecture. a relatively small, upright structure, commonly terminating in a gable, a pyramid, or a cone, rising above the roof or coping of a building, or capping a tower, buttress, or other projecting architectural member.

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verb (used with object)

pinnacled, pinnacling

1. to place on or as on a pinnacle.

2. to form a pinnacle on; crown.

pinnacle British  

/ ˈpɪnəkəl /

noun

1. the highest point or level, esp of fame, success, etc

2. a towering peak, as of a mountain

3. a slender upright structure in the form of a cone, pyramid, or spire on the top of a buttress, gable, or tower

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verb

1. to set on or as if on a pinnacle

2. to furnish with a pinnacle or pinnacles

3. to crown with a pinnacle

Usage

What does pinnacle mean? A pinnacle is the highest point of something, especially success or fame. The pinnacle of a person’s career, for example, is the point at which they are most successful in their field.In a literal sense, a pinnacle is a tall peak of a mountain.In architecture, a pinnacle is an upright structure (usually some kind of cone, pyramid, or spire) that rises up from the roof of a building or caps a tower.Example: Reaching the pinnacle of Sagarmāthā was the pinnacle of my mountaineering career.

Etymology

Origin of pinnacle

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pinacle, from Middle French, from Late Latin pinnāculum “gable,” equivalent to Latin pinn(a) “raised part of a parapet,” literally, “wing, feather ” ( pinna ) + -āculum; tabernacle

Example Sentences

A bookmaker's son who climbed to the pinnacle of amateur sport to win Olympic gold at the 1956 Melbourne Games, the Londoner became a household name.

From BBC

It is clear Guardiola sees the Champions League as the pinnacle - seldom is he more animated than on a big European night.

From BBC

“Many of the people that are at the absolute pinnacle of the economics profession … have such big egos that they look down at other people like, ‘I’m smarter than you,’” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I used Comic Sans for the first time in my 35-year career for the rest of the type. I felt that was some sort of weird pinnacle in itself,” Kennedy explains over email.

From Los Angeles Times

When it was originally listed at the end of last year, the home was described as an “architectural masterpiece” that “defines the pinnacle of luxury waterfront living.”

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• apex
• culmination
• greatest
• height
• peak