Basic Details
Word: Climax
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The most exciting or important point of a story, event or experience, usually near the end.
Synonyms: peak, high point, culmination, height
Antonyms: anticlimax, low point
Word origin: From Greek klimax, a ladder.
How to Spell Climax
Syllables: cli - max
Tricky part: Climax ends in a single x, not cks or cs. The i says its long name, as in climb, but there is no b here.
Watch out for: climacks, climex, clymax
Memory tip: The story climbs to its max: cli + max. Max, the highest amount, is just what a climax is.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The climax of the film is a car chase through the streets of Kolkata.
Example 2: The festival reached its climax with fireworks over the lake.
Example 3: In the last over, the match built up to a nail-biting climax.
Fun Fact
Ecologists use the term climax community for the stable mix of plants and animals that a habitat settles into after many years, such as an old forest.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word climax as used in the sentence:
The play reached its climax when the hero finally faced the villain.
a) anticlimax
b) high point
c) culmination
d) peak
Show answer
a) anticlimax. An anticlimax is a let-down after a build-up, the very opposite of a climax.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
Readers agree that the xmacil of the novel comes in its final chapter.
a) climate
b) claim
c) climax
d) climb
Show answer
c) climax. Only climax uses the x; climate, claim and climb each lack it.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. prolouge 2. sequal 3. protaganist 4. climax
a) an opening section that introduces a story
b) a book or film that continues an earlier story
c) the main character in a story
d) the most exciting point of a story
Show answer
d) the most exciting point of a story. Sequel ends in -el, prologue ends in -ogue and protagonist has an o after the g, so climax alone is right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where in a story would you usually expect the climax?
a) near the end, where tension peaks
b) in the table of contents at the front
c) in the blurb on the back cover
d) in the opening line of chapter one
Show answer
a) near the end, where tension peaks
2. An anticlimax is a moment that ____.
a) disappoints after a big build-up
b) is told by a narrator
c) repeats the opening
d) comes before the story starts
Show answer
a) disappoints after a big build-up
