anticlimax

noun

an·​ti·​cli·​max

ˌan-tē-ˈklī-ˌmaks,

ˌan-ˌtī- 

1

: the usually sudden transition in discourse from a significant idea to a trivial or ludicrous idea

also : an instance of this transition

2

: an event, period, or outcome that is strikingly less important or dramatic than expected

Examples of anticlimax in a Sentence

The last chapter of the book was an anticlimax.

The movie ended in anticlimax.

Recent Examples on the Web

When the cousins leave the tour to find the house where their grandmother grew up, they are headed for an anticlimax. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2024

But the measures that Beijing’s economic planning agency announced this week proved to be an anticlimax — the trillions of yuan that observers were hoping would be revealed never materialized. —Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2024

With Ramos’ catch evoking memories of Mays’ greatest play, the Giants turned an anticlimax into a thriller. —Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024

After months of high-profile proceedings in the lower courts – at one point the medication, mifepristone, was on the verge of being pulled from the market entirely – the case ended in a judicial anticlimax. —Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

anticlimax

noun

an·​ti·​cli·​max ˌant-i-ˈklī-ˌmaks 

1

: a shift in writing or speaking from an important idea to an unimportant or silly one

2

: an event, result, or ending that is strikingly less important than expected

anticlimactic

-klī-ˈmak-tik

-klə-

adjective