climactic

adjective

cli·​mac·​tic klī-ˈmak-tik How to pronounce climactic (audio)
klə-
: 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.
Fire and Ash picks up as Jake and Neytiri mourn their late son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), who died during The Way of Water's climactic battle. Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025 Later, there is caper-like comedy at a funeral home, which then sobers in a poignant tete-a-tete between Yun-ji and Min-yeong, astute revelations of the broken homes that shaped our young heroines, a climactic riot of slapstick destruction at an emergency school meeting and more. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025 The big climactic set piece is somehow both maddeningly ambiguous and head-smackingly obvious, a maximalist attempt at making a statement that talks loud and says nothing. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025 Jordan’s climactic speech is a fun place to leave the episode, suggesting all hell could break loose if the administration doesn’t handle this delicately. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025 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 1 Oct. 2025.

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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