CLIMAXES Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

climaxes 1 of 2

noun

plural of climax

as in milestones

a point in a chain of events at which an important change (as in one's fortunes) occurs the climax of the story occurs when the hero discovers the identity of his father

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in culminations

the highest part or point the climax of her career as a performer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

climaxes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of climax

as in culminates

to bring to a triumphant conclusion organizers climaxed the county fair with a down and dirty pie-eating contest

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 climaxes

Noun

Via one of popular music’s most stratospherically elevating climaxes, the song shifts into gospel overdrive with the explosive entrance of disco’s mightiest, most visceral vocalist, Loleatta Holloway. —

Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026 Anderson is here for the melodrama, the special lessons and the climaxes that fall flat. —

Jessica Lipsky, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026 The band has never sounded this melodic before; Wroth in particular brings a constant dynamism to his guitar solos, often layering two and reaching climaxes that refuse to collapse into just a flurry of notes, building off Phantom Slaughter’s keyboard melodies with a real sense of drama. —

Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026 There was plenty of raw energy in climaxes, sometimes too much for so supportive and reinforcing an acoustic as the Meyerson Symphony Center’s. —

Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026 Thus a wonderful section on The Jew of Malta climaxes in an unfortunate vision of the text as a secret message to Lord Strange, a wealthy and important patron of the arts. —

Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025 Audition is a slow burn, spending the better part of two hours setting up audiences for arguably one of the most graphic climaxes in horror history. —

Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025 Joaquin Temes As Argentina's midterm electoral campaign reaches its second and third climaxes, the number of scandalous corruption accusations aimed at the highest echelons of national politics is surging. —

Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 There’s a reason the picture has that title, in other words, and that idea finds a more direct correlation in the finale, which gives us one of the more grotesquely funny climaxes in recent horror. —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025

Verb

The film climaxes with a triumphant visit by the musicians, some in their 90s, to New York’s Carnegie Hall. —

Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for climaxes

Noun

Career milestones usually put the person in the spotlight, but behind many such achievements exists a powerful, silent dedication that people achieve through their persistent efforts and their deliberate choice to follow their life goals.

— Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Vaccaro and her husband told the outlet that their son is in good shape so far and is meeting expected NICU milestones.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026