noun / verb
climax
KLY-maks/ˈklaɪmæks/
The culminating point of greatest intensity.
The characters' reunion under the spotlight brings the drama to its climax.
Etymology
A “ladder” became a rhetorical sequence whose steps grew progressively stronger. Climax then shifted from the whole ascending sequence to its highest point of intensity or importance.
In context
Act 3 is the climax, whose goal is to excite the audience
More examples
- The celebration climaxed with a spectacular fireworks display.
- The music built slowly toward a powerful climax.
- The health article used climax as another word for orgasm.
Forms
climax · climaxes · climaxed · climaxing
Similar words
- peak
- Any highest point, while climax often culminates a developing sequence.