adjective
climactic
kly-MAK-tik/klaɪˈmæktɪk/
Relating to or forming the most intense or decisive point.
The runner reaches the tape at the race's climactic moment.
Etymology
The Greek “ladder” supplied an image for rhetorical steps rising in force. As climax shifted from the ascending sequence to its highest point, climactic came to describe what relates to that peak.
In context
this is like a climactic moment and you're like oh my god what's gonna happen
More examples
- A climactic goal decided the match.
- The final chapter built toward a climactic revelation.
- The orchestra reached the symphony's climactic passage.
Forms
climactic
climax noun — the most intense or decisive point
Similar words
- climatic
- Climatic concerns climate; climactic concerns a climax.
- culminating
- Culminating marks a final high point; climactic emphasizes the peak's intensity or decisiveness.