anticlimax
/ˈæn.tiˌklaɪ.mæks/ noun
Forms anticlimaxes anti-climax
- noun A failed or reverse climax, particularly:
- noun (narratology) An unsatisfying resolution to a narrative, usually owing to a deus ex machina or similarly trivial resolution of the main conflict.
- noun (rhetoric) An abrupt descent (either deliberate or unintentional) from the dignity of the idea which the speaker or writer appeared to be aiming for.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Webster’s 1913
- noun A sentence in which the ideas fall, or become less important and striking, at the close; --the opposite of climax. It produces a ridiculous effect. Example: Next comes Dalhousie, the great god of war, Lieutenant-colonel to the Earl ANTICLINAL An`ti*cli"nal, a. Etym: [Pref. anti- + Gr.
- noun Inclining or dipping in opposite directions. See Synclinal.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “anticlimax”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details