culmination

noun

cul·​mi·​na·​tion ˌkəl-mə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: the action of culminating

2

: culminating position : climax

the culmination of a brilliant career

the culmination of years of research

Synonyms of culmination

• pinnacle
• zenith
• top
• height
• peak
• climax
• apex

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

The album sounds like the culmination of a lifelong ambition for Reznor, one of many obsessions he’s chased for nearly four decades. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2026

Mayor confident State funding approval, coupled with a public announcement from the Royals, would mark the culmination of a yearslong fight over the team’s future home. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026

Manuel Portuondo was still a teenager in 1960 when his family, like thousands of others, fled Cuba for Miami, following the culmination of the Cuban Revolution a year earlier. —CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026

The cumulative effect of this album is one of culmination, a sense that Garrett has mastered this range of heavy sounds and can now combine them at will. —Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see culminate

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for culmination

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation