as in climactic
of, relating to, or being a major turning point
as the war reached its climacteric phase, the atrocities dramatically increased, both in number and brutality
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in climax
a point in a chain of events at which an important change (as in one's fortunes) occurs
historians attempting to pinpoint the Roman Empire's climacteric, that precise moment when it began its long downhill slide
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of climacteric
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 July 2025
For this reader, roughly the same age as Sam Raymond, there is uncommon pleasure in the paradoxes of this climacteric tale.
—Claire Messud, Harper's Magazine, 22 June 2021
Macerating unripe climacteric fruit in sugar, however, isn’t a substitute for ripening them; that just takes time in your kitchen counter’s fruit basket.
—Bill St. John, The Denver Post, 8 May 2017
Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 31 May 2022
Adjective
Keeping high-ethylene producers away from climacteric fruits can keep them from ripening too quickly.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 July 2025
For this reader, roughly the same age as Sam Raymond, there is uncommon pleasure in the paradoxes of this climacteric tale.
—Claire Messud, Harper's Magazine, 22 June 2021
Macerating unripe climacteric fruit in sugar, however, isn’t a substitute for ripening them; that just takes time in your kitchen counter’s fruit basket.
—Bill St. John, The Denver Post, 8 May 2017
Noun
These are called climacteric, and will respond to the presence of ethylene by producing more ethylene.
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 31 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for climacteric
Adjective
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Murphy and Roberston devote their first act to the series of Conference of the Parties (COP) summits that preceded the climactic negotiations in Kyoto in 1997, which instituted a framework, severely weakened by compromise, for international cooperation on reducing emissions.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
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The sequence also has literal Easter eggs during its climactic postcard showing the explosion at Ironworks, which took place during an Easter egg hunt in 1908.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But for the two-hour show’s climax, stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo veered deliciously off-topic to cover a medley of songs first made famous 62 years ago by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
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Some areas, like a beach that plays a major role in the climax, are based on real places and drew from the plants and fish that are there in real life.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In a first for the China Space Station, crew members from the Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 missions have used a new oven to cook and enjoy a space barbecue, marking a milestone in comfort and innovation aboard the station.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
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The Global Times compared the cooking milestone to one notched aboard the ISS in 2019, when NASA astronauts baked cookies in space using a prototype Zero G oven.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Such apocalyptic moods also characterize contemporaneous scores by Alfred Schnittke, Shostakovich’s contrarian successor.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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She can be seen starring as Lucy MacLean in the post-apocalyptic drama series Fallout for Amazon Prime Video.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The species was once found south of the border in the Rio Sonoyta, but since groundwater pumping has depleted the river, there has been no observable population in the watershed.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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GLP-1s, which act on the brain and the body's hormones to help suppress hunger and slow digestion, are considered a watershed in Americans' long struggle to address obesity and related diseases.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As in 2025, the US played a critical role in this first occupation—but in a very different way.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
China has agreed to allow the export of chips critical to auto production, averting widespread shutdowns that had been predicted by the industry.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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One of South Nashville’s longstanding cultural landmarks is poised for a sale in the coming weeks.—
Hadley Hitson,
Nashville Tennessean,
7 Nov. 2025
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The band announced the upcoming release of a huge box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of their landmark Alive!—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Then, on the pivotal play of the game, Becht ran untouched for nine yards on a great play call by coach Matt Campbell to ice the game.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
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Tiger Woods' son, Charlie Woods, has capped off a pivotal year in his junior golf career by earning a spot on the prestigious 2025 Rolex Junior All-America First Team, a recognition awarded by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) to the top junior golfers in the world.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Climacteric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climacteric. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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