as in apocalyptic
of, relating to, or being a major turning point
the French Revolution is usually regarded as one of the climactic events in modern European history
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Recent Examples of climactic
In an interview with E! News following the climactic premiere of season three’s finale Sunday (April 6), Thapthimthong reacted to the possibility of working with the BLACKPINK star on music now that their onscreen work together is over.
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Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Apr. 2025
Near dawn, Molly finally achieves her goal—in a moving, unusually muted sequence that stands in contrast to pornographic depictions of climactic rapture—then sends her neighbor on his way.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
In both those movies, about 85 percent of the way through, there’s a climactic fight between Jason and the one character in the film who poses a serious threat to him.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
Kilmer played up all of those traits in the film’s climactic scene, an intimate man-to-man duel with the gunfighter Johnny Ringo (a devilish Michael Biehn), that stands as arguably the best gun battle of the modern Western era — even if only two shots were fired.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for climactic
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Apr. 2025
Near dawn, Molly finally achieves her goal—in a moving, unusually muted sequence that stands in contrast to pornographic depictions of climactic rapture—then sends her neighbor on his way.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
In both those movies, about 85 percent of the way through, there’s a climactic fight between Jason and the one character in the film who poses a serious threat to him.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
Kilmer played up all of those traits in the film’s climactic scene, an intimate man-to-man duel with the gunfighter Johnny Ringo (a devilish Michael Biehn), that stands as arguably the best gun battle of the modern Western era — even if only two shots were fired.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for climactic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for climactic
Adjective
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Power asserts itself mercilessly, and the action is shot through with apocalyptic premonitions, which reminds him of our time.—
Jeffrey Arlo Brown,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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The apocalyptic tale pits our hero Ellie not against the zombies that served as the frequent antagonists in the first game, but other people bent on destroying her and her surrogate father Joel.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Related Stories As Dickens goes over each of Jesus’ miracles and other pivotal moments ahead of his gruesome death, young Walter walks into the biblical passages as an unseen figure watching from the sidelines and becoming enraptured by the tall tales.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
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The Penn State athletic department also credits former Penn State club ice hockey coach Joe Battista, a former school administrator who played a pivotal in securing the original donation from the Pegulas and oversaw the early development of the men’s and women’s D-I programs.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Having visibility across not only tier 1 but tier 2 and 3 suppliers to navigate risk, disruption, trade and more is critical.—
Sarah Jones,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Apr. 2025
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This capability is particularly useful for studying critical environments like eelgrass beds, which support marine biodiversity.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For this reader, roughly the same age as Sam Raymond, there is uncommon pleasure in the paradoxes of this climacteric tale.—
Claire Messud,
Harper's Magazine,
22 June 2021
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Macerating unripe climacteric fruit in sugar, however, isn’t a substitute for ripening them; that just takes time in your kitchen counter’s fruit basket.—
Bill St. John,
The Denver Post,
8 May 2017
Adjective
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And, in fact, Democrats are winning special elections month after month after month, including most recently a decisive one in Wisconsin earlier this month for the state Supreme Court.—
Isabel Danzis,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2025
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That’s exactly what WWE fans got inside Allegiant Stadium, with a short but sweet bout that ended in decisive fashion when Cargill demolished Naomi with a massive Jaded finisher.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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With a constant wave of new competition flooding shelves—and social media—understanding your consumers' needs and habits has never been more crucial.—
Alexandra York,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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When the battles are this close, being in the right place at the right time is crucial.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Climactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climactic. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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