Synonyms of acme

acme

noun

ˈak-mē 

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

• pinnacle
• zenith
• height
• top
• culmination
• peak
• apex
• climax
• apogee
• crest
• summit
• crown
• meridian
• sum
• noon
• crescendo
• capstone
• head
• tip-top
• high noon
• high-water mark
• highlight
• ne plus ultra
• noontime
• heyday
• prime
• glory
• flower
• blossom
• extremity
• bloom
• flood tide
• extreme
• ceiling
• cap
• roof
• high
• tip
• vertex
• highspot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bottom
• foot
• base
• nadir
• minimum
• rock bottom
• abyss

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

• apotheosis
• perfection
• zenith
• classic
• ideal
• manifestation
• model
• incarnation
• epitome
• quintessence
• byword
• exemplar
• height
• beau ideal
• prototype
• avatar
• paradigm
• paragon
• archetype
• incorporation
• standard
• personification
• benchmark
• ultimate
• meridian
• nonpareil
• abstract
• criterion
• embodiment
• last word
• touchstone
• yardstick
• embodier

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun acme differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of acme are apex, climax, culmination, peak, pinnacle, and summit. While all these words mean "the highest point attained or attainable," acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

When could apex be used to replace acme?

While the synonyms apex and acme are close in meaning, apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

When is climax a more appropriate choice than acme?

The words climax and acme are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

When is it sensible to use culmination instead of acme?

The synonyms culmination and acme are sometimes interchangeable, but culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

Where would peak be a reasonable alternative to acme?

While in some cases nearly identical to acme, peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

In what contexts can pinnacle take the place of acme?

The meanings of pinnacle and acme largely overlap; however, pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

When might summit be a better fit than acme?

In some situations, the words summit and acme are roughly equivalent. However, summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

Example Sentences

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

Liang’s political writings reached something of a creative acme in exile, where he was energized by Japanese intellectuals and their bountiful translations of Western texts. —Chang Che, The New Yorker, 30 July 2024

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

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

Instead, Trump best serves as a sort of touchstone for understanding McMahon’s particular vein of post-truth, and the acme of society’s larger embrace of the same. —Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2023