anticlimax

noun

an·​ti·​cli·​max

ˌan-tē-ˈklī-ˌmaks,

ˌan-ˌtī- 

1

: the usually sudden transition in discourse from a significant idea to a trivial or ludicrous idea

also : an instance of this transition

2

: an event, period, or outcome that is strikingly less important or dramatic than expected

Examples of anticlimax in a Sentence

The last chapter of the book was an anticlimax.

The movie ended in anticlimax.

Recent Examples on the Web

Any hunting after my kill was sort of an anticlimax. —Bill Thomas, Outdoor Life, 24 Apr. 2025

After months of high-profile proceedings in the lower courts – at one point the medication, mifepristone, was almost pulled from the market entirely – the case ended in a judicial anticlimax. —Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2024

Her attitude is less one of fear than of gnawing bitterness at the anticlimax of her ending. —Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025

When the cousins leave the tour to find the house where their grandmother grew up, they are headed for an anticlimax. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for anticlimax

• counterattacks
• hemothorax
• mesothorax
• metathorax
• pneumothorax
• almanacs
• carrybacks
• haversacks
• lumberjacks
• maniacs
• microcracks
• minimax

Kids Definition

anticlimax

noun

an·​ti·​cli·​max ˌant-i-ˈklī-ˌmaks 

1

: a shift in writing or speaking from an important idea to an unimportant or silly one

2

: an event, result, or ending that is strikingly less important than expected

anticlimactic

-klī-ˈmak-tik

-klə-

adjective