variants
also dénouement
as in finale
formal
the final part of something (such as a book, a play, or a series of events)
In the play's denouement, the two lovers kill themselves. the competition's exciting denouement
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of denouement
Growing up as an American, I was surrounded by cultural narratives that treated the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the denouement of a story, one that began with the attack on Pearl Harbor and ended on V-J Day.
—
Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
A week after England won the UEFA Women’s Euro final, Brazil also retained their continental title in a dramatic denouement decided by a penalty shoot-out.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
The intrigue and pursuit pull them across multiple, glamorous European locations to an unexpected denouement in Montenegro.
—The Know, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
The crises of the 1970s—the oil shock, the Watergate scandal, and the bloody denouement of the Vietnam War—would take their toll on philanthropies along with other liberal institutions.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
A week after England won the UEFA Women’s Euro final, Brazil also retained their continental title in a dramatic denouement decided by a penalty shoot-out.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
The intrigue and pursuit pull them across multiple, glamorous European locations to an unexpected denouement in Montenegro.
—The Know, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
The crises of the 1970s—the oil shock, the Watergate scandal, and the bloody denouement of the Vietnam War—would take their toll on philanthropies along with other liberal institutions.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denouement
Noun
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The show premiered in the fall of 2024 and was renewed for a second season in January ahead of the season finale.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
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By the finale, Ellen learns that Colum has broken her promise not to hurt Brian.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His team sees the deal as a start, not an ending.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
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This is the latest Showtime series to announce its ending in the wake of the Paramount-Skydance merger.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Informed conclusion here — Whitworth and Fitzpatrick are going to dunk each other in a vat of Skyline Chili, then scream until the cameras cut out.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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That tour starts barely two weeks after the conclusion of Sublime’s extended summer and fall tour, which concludes Saturday at Mission Bayfest.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The film, which is a sequel to the classic 1990 Christmas movie, follows the young and spirited Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), who mistakenly gets on a plane headed for New York City while the rest of the family flies to Florida.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Oct. 2025
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Ever since Long and Tate starred in Theodore Witcher’s debut, Love Jones, fans of the cult classic have been begging for a sequel.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What affected me most in Lahiri’s story was the sense of time passing, the way our obsessions seem meaningless in the aftermath of tragic events (or, rather, from the larger vantage point of a life).—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
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In the aftermath, Jones decided the best way to take care of herself was to step away from the public eye.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Julian got the sequence started.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
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The white bare trees evoke the antlers featured in the background of this sequence from 1952's Lovely to Look At, which Duquette designed specially with Vincente Minnelli (who directed only this scene in the Mervyn LeRoy film).—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Denouement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denouement. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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