anticlimactic

adjective

an·​ti·​cli·​mac·​tic ˌan-tē-klī-ˈmak-tik How to pronounce anticlimactic (audio)
-klə-, 
ˌan-ˌtī- How to pronounce anticlimactic (audio)
variants or less commonly anticlimactical
ˌan-tē-klī-ˈmak-ti-kəl, 
ˌan-ˌtī- How to pronounce anticlimactic (audio)
Synonyms of anticlimactic
: of, relating to, or marked by anticlimax
anticlimactically
ˌan-tē-klī-ˈmak-ti-ti-k(ə-)lē, 
ˌan-ˌtī- How to pronounce anticlimactic (audio)
adverb

Examples of anticlimactic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Now Giannis Antetokounmpo will have played the Bucks before his anticlimactic return. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026 With Pogačar all but sealing yellow less than a week into the race, the Tour’s Alpine denouement could have been anticlimactic. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026 This analogy is strangely anticlimactic and almost consoling, but a pedestrian ending comes with the territory in a scrupulously realistic book about the inconceivable. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026 However, the experience of going supersonic as a pilot is significantly less exciting and more anticlimactic than what Hollywood films often show, Less said. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for anticlimactic

Word History

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anticlimactic was in 1831

Rhymes for anticlimactic

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Browse Nearby Words

anticlerical
anticlimactic
anticlimax
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Cite this Entry

“Anticlimactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anticlimactic. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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