anticlimax

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Noun

anticlimax (plural anticlimaxes)

1. A failed or reverse climax, particularly:
   1. (narratology) An unsatisfying resolution to a narrative, usually owing to a deus ex machina or similarly trivial resolution of the main conflict.
   2. (rhetoric) An abrupt descent (either deliberate or unintentional) from the dignity of the idea which the speaker or writer appeared to be aiming for.

Synonyms

• (partial) bathos

Antonyms

• climax
• (literary) cliffhanger
• (rhetoric) auxesis

Related terms

• anticlimactic

Translations

• Portuguese: anticlímax
• Spanish: anticlímax

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