as in apocalyptic
of, relating to, or being a major turning point
the French Revolution is usually regarded as one of the climactic events in modern European history
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Recent Examples of climactic
Serra details the ritualized battles, from the wounding of bulls by picadors to the matador’s climactic kill, and observes Roca being dressed in his elaborate costumes by a skilled associate.
—
Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Hewitt then shared that her first injury came during the climactic finale of the original film.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 17 June 2025
Entering the climactic stage 20 as the in-form climber in the race, 43 seconds behind Isaac del Toro, the surprise 21-year-old wearer of the pink jersey, Carapaz was arguably favourite for the Maglia Rosa.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 14 June 2025
In one climactic scene, while on an interfaith panel discussion, their argument overwhelms the event.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for climactic
Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Hewitt then shared that her first injury came during the climactic finale of the original film.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 17 June 2025
Entering the climactic stage 20 as the in-form climber in the race, 43 seconds behind Isaac del Toro, the surprise 21-year-old wearer of the pink jersey, Carapaz was arguably favourite for the Maglia Rosa.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 14 June 2025
In one climactic scene, while on an interfaith panel discussion, their argument overwhelms the event.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for climactic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for climactic
Adjective
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Born into the cult, Prophet draws comparisons between the group’s apocalyptic dogma (braced for a Soviet nuclear strike, the church built extensive Montana bomb shelters in the early 1990s), and Christian Nationalism, QAnon and the MAGA movement.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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This seemingly apocalyptic scenario wasn’t confined to Antarctica.—
Discover Magazine,
Discover Magazine,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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This is the first of a six-part series looking at figures who have played a pivotal role in a modern football success story.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
3 July 2025
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Jota also notably became the first player in Wolves club history to score back-to-back European hat-tricks and was pivotal in their Europa League run.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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But also probing critical infrastructure and power junctions and stuff like that.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
6 July 2025
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From there, the first-year MLS club made two critical defensive errors.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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For this reader, roughly the same age as Sam Raymond, there is uncommon pleasure in the paradoxes of this climacteric tale.—
Claire Messud,
Harper's Magazine,
22 June 2021
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Macerating unripe climacteric fruit in sugar, however, isn’t a substitute for ripening them; that just takes time in your kitchen counter’s fruit basket.—
Bill St. John,
The Denver Post,
8 May 2017
Adjective
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February 2025 Queen of Swords: February’s energy is pushing you to set clear boundaries and make decisive moves, especially in your financial or professional life this month.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 July 2025
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Netflix, naturally, has only accelerated its investment in Korean entertainment, carving out a decisive leadership position in the country’s premium online video sector ahead of Korea’s top local players.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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With excitement growing over his pace and death-bowling abilities in the crucial latter stages of an innings — ramped up after a final-over hat-trick against Middlesex in the Twenty20 Blast — England fast-tracked him.—
Max Mathews,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
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Cloudflare's system could also threaten web projects like The Internet Archive, which notably played a crucial role in helping track data deleted from government websites after Donald Trump took office.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Climactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climactic. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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