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anticlimax Definition

anti·cli·max (-klī′maks′)

noun

  1. a sudden drop from the dignified or important in thought or expression to the commonplace or trivial, sometimes for humorous effect
  2. a descent, as in a series of events, which is in ludicrous or disappointing contrast to a preceding rise

anticlimax Synonyms

anticlimax

n.

disappointment, bathos, drop, descent, decline, letdown, comedown, deflation.

anticlimax Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • prove: Edward arrived in Acre in May 1271 with 1,000 knights; his crusade was to prove an anticlimax.

Adjective modifier

  • real: It's a real anticlimax after winning an eBay auction to eventually find the item arrive in a worse state than advertised.
  • big: There was one strangely large and empty area which was a big anticlimax, tho.