climactic

adjective

cli·​mac·​tic klī-ˈmak-tik 

klə-

: of, relating to, or constituting a climax

the film's climactic scene

climactically

klī-ˈmak-ti-k(ə-)lē 

klə-

adverb

Synonyms of climactic

• apocalyptic
• pivotal
• critical
• highest
• decisive
• climacteric
• culminating
• crucial
• watershed

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

At the climactic moment when Odysseus returns, Penelope wears a blue dress that serves as her armor. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026

While not a horror film, per se, Spielberg liberally employs the language of the genre, particularly in this climactic moment. — Vulture Editors, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

In a climactic effort to enjoin Willie and the President to go on without each other, the spirits—not least Thomas Havens, a Black freedman, movingly sung by the young tenor Joshua Blue—gather in an effort to occupy Lincoln together. — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026

In the climactic scene, Hitchcock forced Hedren to deal with live birds for the filming, instead of the mechanical ones that were initially proposed, and she is really being pecked and attacked in the scene. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for climactic

• didactic
• galactic
• syntactic
• anaphylactic
• extragalactic
• intergalactic
• stereotactic
• chemotactic
• chiropractic
• isotactic
• prophylactic
• lactic

Kids Definition

climactic

adjective

cli·​mac·​tic klī-ˈmak-tik 

klə-

: of, relating to, or being a climax

the movie's climactic scene

Medical Definition

climactic

adjective

cli·​mac·​tic klī-ˈmak-tik 

: of, relating to, or constituting a climax