Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A decline viewed in disappointing contrast with a previous rise.
- noun Something trivial or commonplace that concludes a series of significant events.
- noun A sudden change in speaking or writing from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential, or an instance of this.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A figure or fault of style, consisting in an abrupt descent from stronger to weaker expressions, or from the mention of more important to that of less important things: opposed to climax.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Rhet.) 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.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A break in the final
crescendo orclimax of anarrative , producing a disappointing end.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a disappointing decline after a previous rise
- noun a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Any event stages or sponsored by them is gonna be an exercise in anticlimax, no matter what.
Think Progress » ACLU will sue high school that canceled prom to stop lesbians from attending. 2010
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I think this is what you might call an anticlimax.
The Book of Chameleons Jose Eduardo Agualusa 2004
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I can't agree at all that the finale was any kind of anticlimax though!
Looking Back on Season Two of SUPERNATURAL | the TV addict 2007
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It was a disappointment to most of us, I think — a kind of anticlimax before we'd really gotten started.
The Hotel New Hampshire Irving, John, 1942- 1981
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"Taking her tea seems a kind of anticlimax to last night," said Julius thoughtfully.
Secret Adversary Agatha Christie 1933
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"Taking her tea seems a kind of anticlimax to last night," said Julius thoughtfully.
The Secret Adversary CHRISTIE, Agatha, Dame 1922
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Their treatment by the prison officials was not ordinarily severe; even a warden or a guard could feel that clubbing and dark-celling would be a kind of anticlimax for a man sentenced for life.
The Subterranean Brotherhood Julian Hawthorne 1890
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Given the Greek parliament last week passed a vote of confidence, Mizuho credit analyst Anke Richter noted this week's test is likely to end positively as well, with the heated anticipation resulting in an anticlimax.
European Debt-Insurance Costs Ease Art Patnaude 2011
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And before this anticlimax can become a moment of appealing self-deprecation, Mr. Jennings notes that he outperformed all other first-time contestants.
Lost in a Good Atlas John J. Miller 2011
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But it's a bit of an anticlimax to be honest as people are treading very carefully.
Chi-X Launches Trade in Australia Geoffrey Rogow 2011
mollusque commented on the word anticlimax
A genus of mollusks in the family Vitrinellidae, members of which are less than 2 mm long.
William H. Dall, a scientist at the Smithsonian named the genus Climacia in 1903, not realizing that that name had been used for a genus of insects in 1869. Cuban scientists Aguayo and Borro replaced the name with Climacina in 1946, but that proved to be preoccupied by Climacina Gemmellaro, 1878. Pilsbry and McGinty then replaced that name with Anticlimax, saying "we are compelled to impose still another name upon these helpless midgets."
December 13, 2008