climactic

adjective

cli·​mac·​tic klī-ˈmak-tik How to pronounce climactic (audio)
klə-
Synonyms of climacticnext
: of, relating to, or constituting a climax
the film's climactic scene
climactically adverb

Examples of climactic in a Sentence

At the climactic moment, the main character of the novel finds herself face to face with the thief. the movie's climactic chase scene
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This looks climactic for you personally, a real turning point that might shift your life circumstances in loud, obvious ways. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Jan. 2026 During that film's climactic biplane battle between Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Esai Morales' villainous Gabriel, Cruise dangles mid-air from a seatbelt as the plane flips upside down. Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026 The real Chichiarelli was shot six times under mysterious circumstances a few months after his role in the Securmark robbery, similar enough to the climactic murder in The Big Fake for director Lodovichi to playfully suggest, like a good noir should, that facts can easily be fiction in disguise. Rory Doherty, Time, 26 Jan. 2026 Below, during a conversation with THR, Bauman — who recently photographed Matt Johnson’s Anthony Bourdain movie, Tony, for A24 — also discusses the unsung heroes who helped make the climactic highway chase the film’s most showstopping sequence. Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for climactic

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of climactic was in 1747

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Climactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climactic. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

climactic

adjective
cli·​mac·​tic klī-ˈmak-tik How to pronounce climactic (audio)
klə-
: of, relating to, or being a climax
the movie's climactic scene

Medical Definition

climactic

adjective
cli·​mac·​tic klī-ˈmak-tik How to pronounce climactic (audio)
: of, relating to, or constituting a climax

More from Merriam-Webster on climactic

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