culmination

noun

cul·​mi·​na·​tion ˌkəl-mə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce culmination (audio)
1
: the action of culminating
2
: culminating position : climax
the culmination of a brilliant career
the culmination of years of research
Choose the Right Synonym for culmination

summit, peak, pinnacle, climax, apex, acme, culmination mean the highest point attained or attainable.

summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

Examples of culmination in a Sentence

This study is the culmination of years of research. an acting performance that was seen as the culmination of a brilliant career on the stage
Recent Examples on the Web Inside, the house is the culmination of six years of meetings, emails and texts between the collaborators, a group that also included the designer Michael Kirkland, a friend of the artist’s who worked with the team on the home’s interior decoration. Alice Newell-Hanson, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2023 The culmination of decades of research, a reservoir of hope for thousands, these oblong tablets were supposed to transform her life, a life circumscribed by illness and the specter of early death. Felice J. Freyer — Boston Globe, STAT, 20 Sep. 2023 The Sundial Block Party is the culmination of everything she’s been working towards for the past several years, something that fuses her artistic imprimatur with radical human engagement. Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2023 Sunday, the Orioles clinched their first playoff berth since 2016, the culmination of a rebuilding process that fully launched in the winter of 2018 when Mike Elias was brought in as executive vice president and general manager and hired Hyde as manager to steward a club designed to struggle. Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023 This is the culmination of all of her professional dreams. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023 To many observers, the visit signals the culmination of the Southeast Asian country’s growing strategic alignment with Washington. Huong Le Thu, Foreign Affairs, 12 Sep. 2023 That result, however, was the culmination of a two-year run that began with a shortcoming. Aaron Heisen, oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2023 The trial marks the culmination of two ongoing lawsuits against Google that started during the Trump administration. Brian Fung, CNN, 12 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culmination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see culminate

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of culmination was in 1633

Dictionary Entries Near culmination

Cite this Entry

“Culmination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culmination. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.

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