as in epilogue
a dull or disappointing ending or result
The last chapter of the book was an anticlimax.
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Recent Examples of anticlimax
With Ramos’ catch evoking memories of Mays’ greatest play, the Giants turned an anticlimax into a thriller.
—
Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024
After months of high-profile proceedings in the lower courts – at one point the medication, mifepristone, was on the verge of being pulled from the market entirely – the case ended in a judicial anticlimax.
—Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2024
The fight, contrary to expectation, draws its power from its sustained tension as much as its sudden attacks — think of the exquisite serenity of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin or the anticlimax of Kill Bill: Volume II.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024
Even those moments that threaten drama or conflict — like a manuscript left on a hall table or a missing pet lizard — turn into benign anticlimaxes: every Chekov’s gun loaded with nothing but glitter and candy.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for anticlimax
Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024
After months of high-profile proceedings in the lower courts – at one point the medication, mifepristone, was on the verge of being pulled from the market entirely – the case ended in a judicial anticlimax.
—Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2024
The fight, contrary to expectation, draws its power from its sustained tension as much as its sudden attacks — think of the exquisite serenity of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin or the anticlimax of Kill Bill: Volume II.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024
Even those moments that threaten drama or conflict — like a manuscript left on a hall table or a missing pet lizard — turn into benign anticlimaxes: every Chekov’s gun loaded with nothing but glitter and candy.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for anticlimax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anticlimax
Noun
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The vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan in a dual role, contains not one but two epilogues: one mid-credits and another at the very end.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
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Even Izzard’s brief epilogue, charmingly dedicating the performance to a fellow thespian, crackles with more verve than the most famous of soliloquies.—
Karen D'Souza,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anticlimax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anticlimax. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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