anticlimax

anticlimax
/an'ti kluy"maks/, n.
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."
[1720-30; ANTI- + CLIMAX]

* * *

      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 is

Here thou, great Anna, whom three realms obey,
Dost sometimes counsel take, and sometimes tea.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

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  • anticlimax — anticlímax s. n., pl. anticlímaxe Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  ANTICLIMÁX s.n. Gradaţie (2) descendentă. ♦ Opoziţie într un context a două gradaţii, una ascendentă şi alta descendentă. [< fr. anticlimax, cf. gr.… …   Dicționar Român

  • anticlímax — (plural anticlímax) sustantivo masculino 1. Área: retórica Figura retórica que consiste en la gradación descendente de las ideas. 2. Área: retórica Punto más bajo de la gradación descendente. 3 …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • Anticlimax — An ti*cli max, n. (Rhet.) A sentence in which the ideas fall, or become less important and striking, at the close; the opposite of climax. It produces a ridiculous effect. Note: Example: Next comes Dalhousie, the great god of war, Lieutenant… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • anticlimax — (n.) the addition of a particular which suddenly lowers the effect, 1701, from ANTI (Cf. anti ) + CLIMAX (Cf. climax) (n.) …   Etymology dictionary

  • anticlimax —    anticlìmax    (s.m. o s.f.) Attenuazione progressiva delle idee comunicate da una serie di parole. Corrisponde ad un climax discendente o grada­zione discendente ed è l opposto del climax ascendente.    Es.: E mi dicono, Dormi /mi cantano,… …   Dizionario di retorica par stefano arduini & matteo damiani

  • anticlimax — [n] ineffective conclusion bathos, comedown, decline, descent, disappointment, drop, letdown, slump; concepts 230,674 Ant. climax …   New thesaurus

  • anticlímax — 1. m. Gradación retórica descendente. 2. Término más bajo de esta gradación. 3. Momento en que desciende o se relaja la tensión después del clímax …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • anticlimax — ► NOUN ▪ a disappointing end to an exciting series of events. DERIVATIVES anticlimactic adjective …   English terms dictionary

  • anticlimax — [an΄tiklī′maks΄] n. 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… …   English World dictionary

  • Anticlimax — L anticlimax (substantif masculin), du grec anti ( contre, opposé ) et climax ( point culminant ), est une figure de style consistant en une gradation de termes négatifs et opposés à ceux évoqués lors d une première gradation de termes positifs.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • anticlimax — n. an anticlimax to (everything was an anticlimax to winning an Olympic gold medal) * * * [ˌæntɪ klaɪmæks] an anticlimax to (everything was an anticlimax to winning an Olympic gold medal) …   Combinatory dictionary

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