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pinnacle
[ pin-uh-kuhl ]
noun
- a lofty peak.
- the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.:
the pinnacle of one's career.
Synonyms: zenith, summit, peak, acme, apex
Antonyms: nadir
- any pointed, towering part or formation, as of rock.
Synonyms: needle
- Architecture. a relatively small, upright structure, commonly terminating in a gable, a pyramid, or a cone, rising above the roof or coping of a building, or capping a tower, buttress, or other projecting architectural member.
verb (used with object)
- to place on or as on a pinnacle.
- to form a pinnacle on; crown.
pinnacle
/ ˈpɪnəkəl /
noun
- the highest point or level, esp of fame, success, etc
- a towering peak, as of a mountain
- a slender upright structure in the form of a cone, pyramid, or spire on the top of a buttress, gable, or tower
verb
- to set on or as if on a pinnacle
- to furnish with a pinnacle or pinnacles
- to crown with a pinnacle
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Word History and Origins
Origin of pinnacle1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of pinnacle1
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Example Sentences
Even while he was working at the pinnacle of the financial services world he started non-profits like the Big Shoulders Fund and taught financial literacy.
Humans are not a treasured creation, or even the pinnacle of evolution.
Schitt’s Creek has risen in the ranks as one of the most popular TV shows of the past decade, reaching its pinnacle at this year’s Emmy awards, where the show swept the comedy category.
Sometimes, a thriving juggernaut doesn’t tail off — rather, a new competitor knocks the champion off its pinnacle, often during conference realignment.
What’s interesting as I’ve talked to some experts that actually feel that this might indeed be the pinnacle of campaign technology and personalized campaigns because public opinion is really shifting on this.
Next, he sermonized on the moral failures that caused other “pinnacle nations” throughout history to fall.
From an athletic point of view, James is the pinnacle of human athleticism and fitness.
For those who are obsessed with the popular reality show, the wedding was a pinnacle moment.
They were two artists at the pinnacle of their careers combining their respective star powers into one nearly blinding supernova.
The arrival of Woodford Reserve in 1996 was arguably the pinnacle of the small batch movement.
But there is a pinnacle of human success and of human opinion, on which human foot was never yet permitted to rest.
The minister's eye kept steady to one point; to raise the country he governed, to the utmost pinnacle of earthly grandeur.
I might as well have laid down and gone to sleep on that pinnacle for all the good my waiting and eye-straining did me.
A fifty-mile breeze lashed us spitefully, tugging at our shirt-sleeves and drowning our voices, while we halted on that pinnacle.
As if to prove that he was a true prophet, the herd split against a rocky pinnacle, and on this we stranded.
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More About Pinnacle
What does pinnacle mean?
A pinnacle is the highest point of something, especially success or fame. The pinnacle of a person’s career, for example, is the point at which they are most successful in their field.
In a literal sense, a pinnacle is a tall peak of a mountain.
In architecture, a pinnacle is an upright structure (usually some kind of cone, pyramid, or spire) that rises up from the roof of a building or caps a tower.
Example: Reaching the pinnacle of Sagarmāthā was the pinnacle of my mountaineering career.
Where does pinnacle come from?
The first records of the word pinnacle come from the 1300s. It comes from the late Latin word pinnāculum, meaning “gable” (the triangular part at the peak of a roof), from the Latin pinna, meaning “wing.”
When you reach the pinnacle of a mountain or your career, you are at the highest point—you can’t go any higher. At the pinnacle of a mountain, everything is below you, and it’s all downhill from there, as the saying goes. The same goes for the pinnacle of success or fame, though some people stay on top without ever having to come down.
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How is pinnacle used in real life?
Pinnacle is most often used in a figurative way to discuss the peak of something, like someone’s career, an art form, or an era of film or television.
Dannielle Khan takes part @Glasgow2014 today and says it will be the pinnacle of her career: http://t.co/HWTjdrKuZX pic.twitter.com/bTJSpYi29L
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) July 24, 2014
Is the Champions League final the display of the pinnacle of ability and craft of the beautiful game? Well-honed teams of players from around the world playing for clubs in the world's top leagues. Can anything else come close?
— Matt Staub (@staubio) August 23, 2020
This is your view from the pinnacle of Austria's Schafberg Mountain… almost 6,000 ft… Phew! pic.twitter.com/Q68YjzlQRV
— Memory Making Vacations (@MyMMVacation) February 5, 2020
Try using pinnacle!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of pinnacle?
A. peak
B. culmination
C. summit
D. foundation
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