1
as in pinnacle
the highest part or point
the acme of their basketball season was their hard-won victory over last year's state champs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in apotheosis
the most perfect type or example
a movie that has come to be regarded as the acme of the Hollywood musical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of acme
By 1998, when Lewis H. Lapham filed two reports on the WEF for this magazine, globalization and its political sister, Third Way politics, were at their acme.
—
Caitlín Doherty, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The sentence on Cafe Kestrel’s menu is the battle cry of the heroic rabbit Bigwig, shouted in righteous rage at the leader of the enemy tribe of rabbits, at the acme of the story’s great climactic battle.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024
The Dior headquarters on the Avenue Montaigne, where the house’s presentations unfolded, were a polished foil to his clothes: gray rooms that were the acme of Belle Époque chic.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
This is the acme of the true fantasy—not attracting a young man with chiseled cheekbones, perfect teeth, and the ability to wear a thick cardigan on a very hot day without even a bead of sweat—but actually being noticed.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 1 May 2024
Compared to previous off-year elections with the same types of races on the ballot, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania all had their highest turnout since at least 2011, and Kentucky and Virginia came very close to matching their turnout acmes from 2019.
—Tia Yang, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2023
The Iraq war, which began 20 years ago, represents the acme of American military folly—second only to the Vietnam War.
—Andrew J. Bacevich, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
Caitlín Doherty, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The sentence on Cafe Kestrel’s menu is the battle cry of the heroic rabbit Bigwig, shouted in righteous rage at the leader of the enemy tribe of rabbits, at the acme of the story’s great climactic battle.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024
The Dior headquarters on the Avenue Montaigne, where the house’s presentations unfolded, were a polished foil to his clothes: gray rooms that were the acme of Belle Époque chic.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
This is the acme of the true fantasy—not attracting a young man with chiseled cheekbones, perfect teeth, and the ability to wear a thick cardigan on a very hot day without even a bead of sweat—but actually being noticed.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 1 May 2024
Compared to previous off-year elections with the same types of races on the ballot, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania all had their highest turnout since at least 2011, and Kentucky and Virginia came very close to matching their turnout acmes from 2019.
—Tia Yang, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2023
The Iraq war, which began 20 years ago, represents the acme of American military folly—second only to the Vietnam War.
—Andrew J. Bacevich, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acme
Noun
-
But the template had been set, Paris was marked as a shorthand for the pinnacle of female achievement—only the most stylish, successful, and generally it would be summoned there—and established as the option only a truly singular love could outshine.—
Megan Angelo,
Glamour,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Also in the Tuamotus, on the atoll of Tikehau, divers head out to Tuheiava Pass with Tikehau Diving for regular sightings of mantas at a cleaning station (pinnacles that draw large fish to have their gills, teeth, and carapaces cleaned by smaller ones).—
Terry Ward,
AFAR Media,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The apotheosis of Soderbergh’s fascination with close-ups is his 1999 crime thriller The Limey, about Wilson, an English ex-convict who comes to Los Angeles to find out what happened to his missing daughter and, upon finding out that she was murdered, embarks on a revenge mission.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Rooftop 58 serves as a near-perfect metaphor for the city’s recent apotheosis: Where a crumbling eyesore of a parking garage stood for decades, a new local government office, Brucity, opened in late 2022.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
The speakers and attendees outlined their vision for the world at a time when national conservatism has reached its zenith of influence.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
-
These continued every few days for the better part of the next year, one Bowyer would look back on as a personal and professional zenith.—
DAVID AMSDEN,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Victor’s own father is obsessed with legacy and perfection and mistreats his boy, and that cycle continues with Victor and the Creature.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
That could mean the index is vulnerable to a pullback if the tech sector starts to falter — especially at a moment when many investors fear the megacaps are priced for perfection.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cities would also generally be prevented from imposing height and density limits based on how close a development is near a transit stop.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Channel Orange, his breakthrough album, preceded Blonde by several years but didn’t reach the same heights.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Polestar 1 is a future classic, the Polestar 2 is pretty good as well, the Polestar 3 is mostly forgettable, and so is the Polestar 4.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Romantic films in the modern era often lack the depth that cult classics released in the 1980s and 1990s had.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One is the continued dominance of Argentina, 10 points clear at the top with one round of matches remaining.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
An adjustable buckle across the top keeps them in place, and their closed-toe design helps keep feet warm as temperatures get colder.—
Melody Kazel,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Trump’s philosophies continue to be debated among Republican lawmakers and voters as to whether his more populist ideals will stick with the GOP once his long run as party leader eventually comes to a close.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Finding themes where characters can continuously engage and undermine one another in this way, as a kind of contrasting ideal, is the most gratifying thing to me as a creator.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acme. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share