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climax
[ klahy-maks ]
noun
- the highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something; culmination:
His career reached its climax when he was elected president.
- (in a dramatic or literary work) a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot.
- Rhetoric.
- a figure consisting of a series of related ideas so arranged that each surpasses the preceding in force or intensity.
- the last term or member of this figure.
- an orgasm.
- 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)
- to bring to or reach a climax.
climax
/ ˈklaɪmæks /
noun
- the most intense or highest point of an experience or of a series of events
the party was the climax of the week
- a decisive moment in a dramatic or other work
- a rhetorical device by which a series of sentences, clauses, or phrases are arranged in order of increasing intensity
- ecology the stage in the development of a community during which it remains stable under the prevailing environmental conditions
- Also calledsexual climax (esp in referring to women) another word for orgasm
verb
- to reach or bring to a climax
Other Words From
- hyper·climax noun
- un·climaxed adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of climax1
Word History and Origins
Origin of climax1
Example Sentences
Traditionally, January and the first half of February see a glut of Bafta and Oscar hopefuls being released, all hoping for glory as the climax of awards season approaches.
It doesn’t need to, as Romy’s low, primal, guttural moan at the climax of the sequence says plenty.
An audience of more than 19 million watched the story reach its climax as he drove her and her family into a canal... killing only himself.
After the main mysteries reach their climax, the series jumps forward six months to an ending so tidy and generous and sentimental that it verges on parody.
The film climaxes with a famously chaotic performance at at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, where Dylan was booed by some members of the audience for playing an electric set with an amplified band.
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Related Words
About This Word
What does climax mean?
A climax is the most intense, decisive point of something, especially in a story or film.
Where does climax come from?
Content warning: this article contains language about sex.
We can ultimately thank Greek for the word climax, which literally means “ladder.”
The word is recorded in English as early as the 1530s and originally referred to a rhetorical device where ideas are arranged in a way that increase in intensity or importance.
By the 1640s, climax was referring to the culmination of something, such as a competition or story. Many literature students will know climax as the peak or pivotal moment in plays, as modeled by 19th-century German dramatist Gustav Freytag in his namesake, Freytag’s pyramid.
Rook Reading
Climax lent itself to sex by the 1870s, used in scientific literature for the orgasm of a person.
The opposite of a climax is an anticlimax, when something is far less important, powerful, or striking than expected—a letdown.
How is climax used in real life?
When something is considered a climax, it can be described as climactic. Same goes for anticlimax (i.e., anticlimactic).
Literature teachers and students will discuss climaxes when analyzing the plot or structure of a story. Climax also sees frequent use in discussion of films, especially their most exciting or significant parts.
At Holtzman's badass scene at the climax? Not gonna lie I literally teared up. This is the second time this happens at a badass moment.
— Alex✨ (@dirtbagboyfren) July 15, 2016
More generally, a climax can refer to the “high point” something has built up to (e.g., The climax of my week was the surprise office party on Friday).
Plenty of erotic novels or pornography titles may feature the word climax, though climax is generally considered inoffensive. In sexual contexts, climax is often used as a verb for “having an orgasm.”
More examples of climax:
“The only drawbacks of the film are its noticeable tendency to abruptly change from scene to scene for most of its run time, although it becomes slightly better toward the end, and a somewhat underwhelming climax — a chase between a fearful group of humans following the discovery of yeti existence.
Overall, the action scenes in “Smallfoot” are successful, but the climax falls short.”
—Alex Novak, Kent Wired, September 2018
Note
This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.
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