CULMINATION Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'culmination' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of culmination are acme , apex , climax , peak , pinnacle , and summit . While all these words mean "the highest point attained or attainable," culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective. // the culmination of years of effort

Q: When would 'acme' be a good substitute for 'culmination'?

The synonyms acme and culmination are sometimes interchangeable, but acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing. // a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

Q: Where would 'apex' be a reasonable alternative to 'culmination'?

The meanings of apex and culmination largely overlap; however, apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge. // the apex of Dutch culture

Q: When is it sensible to use 'climax' instead of 'culmination'?

The words climax and culmination are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, climax implies the highest point in an ascending series. // the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

Q: When could 'peak' be used to replace 'culmination'?

The words peak and culmination can be used in similar contexts, but peak suggests the highest among other high points. // an artist working at the peak of her powers

Q: When might 'pinnacle' be a better fit than 'culmination'?

Although the words pinnacle and culmination have much in common, pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height. // the pinnacle of worldly success

Q: When can 'summit' be used instead of 'culmination'?

While in some cases nearly identical to culmination , summit implies the topmost level attainable. // at the summit of the Victorian social scene

culmination

noun

ˌkəl-mə-ˈnā-shən

Definition of culmination next

as in pinnacle

the highest part or point an acting performance that was seen as the culmination of a brilliant career on the stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun culmination differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of culmination are acme, apex, climax, peak, pinnacle, and summit. While all these words mean "the highest point attained or attainable," culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

When would acme be a good substitute for culmination?

The synonyms acme and culmination are sometimes interchangeable, but acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

Where would apex be a reasonable alternative to culmination?

The meanings of apex and culmination largely overlap; however, apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

When is it sensible to use climax instead of culmination?

The words climax and culmination are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

When could peak be used to replace culmination?

The words peak and culmination can be used in similar contexts, but peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

When might pinnacle be a better fit than culmination?

Although the words pinnacle and culmination have much in common, pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

When can summit be used instead of culmination?

While in some cases nearly identical to culmination, summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of culmination This week marked 424’s first runway show at Paris Fashion Week, which for Andrade felt like the natural culmination after seven years of making and selling clothes in Paris and Milan. —

Keyla Marquez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025 The culmination of Roosevelt’s beneficent framing of the canal’s construction came during the spectacular world’s fair, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, held in 1915 to celebrate the canal’s opening. —

Julie Greene / Made By History, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025 Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Apple's Tim Cook, among others, were photographed together at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., symbolizing the culmination of weeks of aligning with the Republican as his second term is about to begin on Monday. —

Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025 These closing arguments were the culmination of six years of litigation on the key question in the 9/11 case: Does torture matter in the pursuit of justice in the military commissions? —

Lisa Hajjar, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for culmination

Recent Examples of Synonyms for culmination

Noun

Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson, the comedic geniuses behind Detroiters, a sitcom about an underdog advertising firm, have finally made it to the pinnacle of American commercialism: the Super Bowl.

— Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 9 Feb. 2025
The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of sports betting, an industry that could mean even more to Ohio in the years to come.

— Troy Smith, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025