A climax is the most exciting or important moment of something: the climax of the film, the climax of her career. It isn't the word for the time in a woman's life when her periods stop: that's menopause [ˈmenəpɔːz], and in a conversation about health, climax would be misunderstood.
climax: will you get the meaning right?
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the climax of + film/story/career; reach / build to + a climax; an anticlimax; go through + the menopause
- The climax of the film is a chase across the rooftops of Paris.
- Winning the national championship was the climax of her sports career.
What changed
First versionMy mother is 52, and her doctor says she's going through the climax.
RevisionMy mother is 52, and her doctor says she's going through the menopause.
In several languages, the medical word for menopause looks like climax. In English it's menopause, usually with the: go through the menopause. Climax means the high point, so going through the climax sounds like “going through the most exciting part” and confuses the listener.
An anticlimax is a disappointment, when a long-awaited event turns out to be dull: After all the hype, the final episode was a real anticlimax. A climax is the peak of tension; an anticlimax is the frustrating drop in its place.
Your turn
The most exciting part of the book is its ___, when the detective finally names the killer.
Show the answer
climax — The most exciting moment of the book, when the detective names the killer, is its climax. An anticlimax is a letdown, so it doesn't fit “the most exciting part”.
Write about a film or book you remember well. Say which moment you consider the climax and why.
In Titanic, the climax for me is the moment the ship breaks in two, because the fate of every character is decided in those few minutes.
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