Synonyms of climactic

climactic

adjective

klī-ˈmak-tik 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• apocalyptic
• pivotal
• critical
• highest
• decisive
• climacteric
• culminating
• crucial
• watershed
• high
• fateful
• crowning
• epochal
• life-and-death
• momentous
• apical
• meridian
• earthshaking
• crestal
• crossover
• payoff
• vital
• make-or-break
• apogean
• deciding
• cataclysmal
• go-no-go

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• trivial
• anticlimactic
• unimportant
• insignificant
• inconsequential
• indecisive
• noncritical

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of climactic

That was our climactic sort of reveal at the very end of that one. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Mundy pointed out action scenes in previous episodes provided plenty of pyrotechnics, including a climactic brawl between Hal and John in Episode 5. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026

In the episode's climactic bridge showdown, the tone shifts to another '90s classic, as Jim Kirk goads Reeger into a confession about the Constitution scandal. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026

North by Northwest contains several of the most thrilling sequences in the director’s filmography, including the darkly comedic drunk driving scene, the showdown with the crop duster, and the climactic chase atop Mount Rushmore. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026