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anticlimax

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an⋅ti⋅cli⋅max

  [an-ti-klahy-maks]
Use anticlimax in a Sentence
–noun
1. an event, conclusion, statement, etc., that is far less important, powerful, or striking than expected.
2. a descent in power, quality, dignity, etc.; a disappointing, weak, or inglorious conclusion: After serving as President, he may find life in retirement an anticlimax.
3. a noticeable or ludicrous descent from lofty ideas or expressions to banalities or commonplace remarks: We were amused by the anticlimax of the company's motto: “For God, for country, and for Acme Gasworks.”
Origin:
1720–30; anti- + climax
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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an·ti·cli·max   (ān'tē-klī'māks', ān'tī-)   
n.  

  1. A decline viewed in disappointing contrast with a previous rise: the anticlimax of a brilliant career.

  2. Something trivial or commonplace that concludes a series of significant events: After a week of dramatic negotiations, all that followed was anticlimax.

  3. A sudden descent in speaking or writing from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential, or an instance of it: "Waggish non-Yale men never seem weary of calling 'for God, for Country and for Yale' the outstanding single anticlimax in the English language" (Time).

an'ti·cli·mac'tic (-klī-māk'tĭk) adj., an'ti·cli·mac'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

anticlimax 
"the addition of a particular which suddenly lowers the effect," 1727, coined by Alexander Pope (1688-1744).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

anticlimax

a figure of speech that consists of the usually sudden transition in discourse from a significant idea to a trivial or ludicrous one. Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock uses anticlimax liberally; an example isHere thou, great Anna, whom three realms obey,Dost sometimes counsel take, and sometimes tea

Learn more about anticlimax with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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