climactic
adjective
cli·mac·tic
klī-ˈmak-tik 
klə-
: of, relating to, or constituting a climax
the film's climactic scene
Examples of climactic in a Sentence
At the climactic moment, the main character of the novel finds herself face to face with the thief.
the movie's climactic chase scene
Recent Examples on the Web
In her moments of climactic victory, Tashi screams.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Director William Friedkin, working from William Peter Blatty’s source novel, crafted a slow-burn chamber piece about a precocious 12-year-old girl, Regan (Linda Blair), who is gradually overtaken by an ancient demon and battles a duo of Catholic priests in the climactic finale.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
There’s no painful climactic point, just a huge empty space.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
But there’s more to Mariko’s climactic sacrifice than meets the eye.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Unfortunately, the network’s live coverage of the Masters golf tournament pushed back the start of the Joel concert’s airing, which meant that the climactic ending of the show was cut off for many viewers to throw to the local news.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
For the grand finale, Doja and Nelson wanted to end the Coachella set with a bodycon look that felt powerful and climactic.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
Jelly Roll exulted upon getting his climactic honor from the actor, who was representing Austin, the home of the CMT Music Awards for the second year running.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
The Gilded Age of the late 19th century marked the last, climactic chapter of decades of largely unconstrained corporate growth and ostentatious displays of private wealth.
—Jonathan Mahler Edoardo Ballerini Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Director William Friedkin, working from William Peter Blatty’s source novel, crafted a slow-burn chamber piece about a precocious 12-year-old girl, Regan (Linda Blair), who is gradually overtaken by an ancient demon and battles a duo of Catholic priests in the climactic finale.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
There’s no painful climactic point, just a huge empty space.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
But there’s more to Mariko’s climactic sacrifice than meets the eye.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Unfortunately, the network’s live coverage of the Masters golf tournament pushed back the start of the Joel concert’s airing, which meant that the climactic ending of the show was cut off for many viewers to throw to the local news.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
For the grand finale, Doja and Nelson wanted to end the Coachella set with a bodycon look that felt powerful and climactic.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
Jelly Roll exulted upon getting his climactic honor from the actor, who was representing Austin, the home of the CMT Music Awards for the second year running.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
The Gilded Age of the late 19th century marked the last, climactic chapter of decades of largely unconstrained corporate growth and ostentatious displays of private wealth.
—Jonathan Mahler Edoardo Ballerini Emma Kehlbeck Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'climactic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near climactic
Cite this Entry
“Climactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climactic. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
climactic
adjective
cli·mac·tic
klī-ˈmak-tik
klə-
: of, relating to, or being a climax
the movie's climactic scene
Medical Definition
climactic
adjective
cli·mac·tic
klī-ˈmak-tik
: of, relating to, or constituting a climax
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