1
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
2
as in culminations
the highest part or point
the climax of her career as a performer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of climaxes
Raphael Helfand, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026
This year’s sequel climaxes with Grace hijacking her second wedding to a Satanic heir by killing him and banishing his oligarchical cabal to hell.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 May 2026
That climaxes in a kaleidoscope of styles where Esteban, directing one scene, erupts in fury, reverting to a verbal and physical violence which Emilia obviously knew and suffered as child, Sorogoyen explains.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 May 2026
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
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
Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Noun
These two songs function as the record’s thematic and sonic climaxes, respectively.
—Raphael Helfand, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026
This year’s sequel climaxes with Grace hijacking her second wedding to a Satanic heir by killing him and banishing his oligarchical cabal to hell.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 May 2026
That climaxes in a kaleidoscope of styles where Esteban, directing one scene, erupts in fury, reverting to a verbal and physical violence which Emilia obviously knew and suffered as child, Sorogoyen explains.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 May 2026
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
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
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
-
Natural landscapes, calming music, personal milestones, and community acts of kindness.—
Jasmine Browley,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
But to mark a few recent milestones, some of the spacefarers aboard the orbital outpost temporarily hung up their spacesuits and instead donned their aprons.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Full moons are culminations — don’t forget to pause and see what’s already come full circle before rushing into more.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The tour kicks off at the Observatory North Park in San Diego on June 19, followed by a stop in Los Angeles on June 20 at The Belasco, and culminates with a finale performance on July 25-26 at the Vans Warped Tour in Long Beach.—
Charlie Vargas,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
Expect the biggest fireworks show yet The evening culminates with perhaps the headline event of the annual celebration, and a family favorite that is expected to be bigger than ever before.—
Josh Taylor,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
In total, Google has 165 water stewardship projectsin 97 watersheds nationwide.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The theater, declared a landmark in 1988, is a 13-story shadow box preserving bits from a rich history of pop culture pinnacles past.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
Canyonlands National Park The desert landscape of Canyonlands National Park is marked with towering rock pinnacles, remote canyons, and Indigenous American rock paintings.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Saturday's Belmont Stakes marked the third consecutive, and final, year in which the race took place at Saratoga Race Course in Upstate New York, as Belmont Park finishes up renovations.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
-
The tour kicked off on April 22 in San Diego and finishes on July 30 in Warsaw, Poland.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Racing through the heart of American history, with those amazing landmarks lining the course, is going to be incredibly powerful.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
The tour will guide explorers around the Plaza, explaining art, the fountains and notable landmarks.—
Emily Harter,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Following a resurgence during the pandemic, participation numbers hit record heights last year.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
The records detail fascinating biographical information such as the town the immigrants were from, their ages, heights, even eye and hair colors, plus their occupation.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Climaxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climaxes. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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