Meaning & use
culmination
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Meanings
nounusually singularformal
The final and highest point of a long process, reached after a gradual build-up.
Grammar: Normally appears with the: the culmination of years of work.
Patterns
- the culmination of something
- reach its culmination
The gold medal was the culmination of ten years of training.
The festival's fireworks display was the culmination of three days of events.
His book is the culmination of a lifetime of research.
noununcountabletechnical
In astronomy, the moment a star or planet reaches its highest point in the sky.
Grammar: A technical sense used in observing the sky.
Patterns
- the culmination of a star
The culmination of the star occurs at midnight in July.
Observers waited for the culmination of the planet before taking measurements.
At culmination, the object lies directly on the meridian.
Word forms
| plural | culminations |
|---|
Common combinations
- the culmination of years
- The project is the culmination of years of effort.
- reach its culmination
- The negotiations reached their culmination on Friday night.
- a fitting culmination
- The victory was a fitting culmination to a great season.
- in the culmination of
- In the culmination of his career, he accepted a lifetime award.
- final culmination
- The treaty marked the final culmination of a long peace effort.
Synonyms and how they differ
- climax
- Climax is the most intense moment, often sudden, whereas culmination is the result of a long, gradual build-up.
- peak
- Peak is a general word for the highest point and is used for numbers and fitness as well, while culmination sounds more formal.
- pinnacle
- Pinnacle emphasizes the highest level of achievement, but culmination stresses the process that led there.
- conclusion
- Conclusion is merely the end, and culmination says the end is also the high point.
Opposites
Word family
- culminate verb
- to reach the highest or final point
- culminating adjective
- coming as the final high point
- culminated verb
- past tense of culminate
Commonly confused: culmination or climax?
culmination vs climax
Climax is a peak of tension or excitement, while culmination is the end result of a long development.
Practice
The new library was the ______ of a campaign that had lasted more than a decade.
Choose one answer.
Culmination fits a final achievement reached after years of effort. A beginning, interruption or rehearsal would not match a campaign that lasted a decade and ended in a library.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “culmination”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.