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
Relevance
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
-
Of course, the commercial ends in climactic fashion, as He-Man lifts Skeletor above his head for the grand finale and the sorcerer erupts into his legendary cackle.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
3 June 2026
-
The climactic sequence where music finally enters was always planned that way – and reflects his father’s influence more directly than anything else in the film.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The political overshadow of Hernandez's high school career reached its climax during championship weekend, with the athlete appearing in a video with Democrat California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer on the morning of the CIF championship preliminary round on Friday.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
And this represents the climax of the film, when Thompson (Kathryn Fairly in the movie) must pilot the shuttle during peak heating.—
Eric Berger & Lee Hutchinson,
ArsTechnica,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Plus, there are plenty of other important updates coming our way this week, from influential tech conferences to jobs data and spin-off milestones.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Zev Fima,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
-
Expanding domestic graphitization capacity therefore represents a significant industrial milestone in itself.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
One is focused on Juliette in the present day, and the other explores pre-apocalyptic life before the silos.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
-
The homicide rate in the city is at a 66-year low, a problem for his apocalyptic message.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
The map released Wednesday shows watersheds where at least one wolf was active between April 21 and May 26.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
-
Farther east, attention is now turning to the Palokki hydropower dam in Finland’s Vuoksi river basin, where plans are underway to restore connectivity across another heavily fragmented watershed.—
Radina Gigova,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Suzanne Swierc Ball State University agreed to pay $225,000 to its former health director, Suzanne Swierc, after she was fired for making a critical social media post following Kirk's assassination, according to reporting from IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Studying the history of the Winkie and Lord, Miller, and Muntadas’s video anthology offers us perhaps an alternative path out of our current critical doom loop.—
Jonathan Odden,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Nearby, a little girl splashed in the fountain beneath the landmark flagpole overlooking South Livermore Avenue.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
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The landmark program provides funding to cover nine months of childcare and is open to emerging and mid-career artists raising a child under the age of three.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Trivia questions, the barrier for entry, center around pivotal women in history.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
-
That makes their result a pivotal statement not only about the chemistry that supports life, but also about whether quantum computers are needed to understand it.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Climacteric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climacteric. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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