anticlimax

/ˌæntiˈklaɪmæks/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌæntiˈklaɪmæks/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌan-tē-ˈklī-ˌmaks How to pronounce anticlimax (audio) ˌan-ˌtī- How to pronounce anticlimax (audio)/ (ame, mw)

anticlimax — 名詞

1. a disappointing moment or result that feels flat because people hoped for someth

1.名詞C1
釋義

掃興場面

高期待後卻顯得平淡失望

a disappointing moment or result that feels flat because people hoped for something bigger, or because a stronger event has just happened

例句

After weeks of ads, the phone launch felt like an anticlimax.

廣告打了好幾週後，這場手機發表會反而成了掃興場面。

feel like an anticlimax after heavy build-up

Tunde expected cheers, but the quiet medal ceremony was an anticlimax.

Tunde 原本以為會有歡呼聲，但那場安靜的頒獎典禮卻成了掃興場面。

contrast: high expectation versus flat event

同義詞
  • letdown

    the closest everyday synonym, but it does not always imply a rise in excitement first

  • disappointment

    broader and can describe any unhappy result, even without contrast

  • comedown

    often stresses a fall from a high point or successful period

反義詞
  • climax

    the most exciting or important point, rather than a flat letdown

文法句型

an anticlimax

feel like an anticlimax

seem an anticlimax

end in anticlimax

用法筆記

Usually describes a letdown created by contrast: expectations rise first, or a stronger moment comes immediately before it. It often follows verbs such as feel, seem, or prove.

常見錯誤

❌Missing the bus was an anticlimax.
✅The final concert felt like an anticlimax after the brilliant opening act.
💡anticlimax usually involves a build-up or a sharp contrast, not just any ordinary disappointment.

2. a sudden drop in a story, speech, or joke from something important or serious to

2.名詞C1
釋義

語勢突降

敘事或講話忽然降到瑣碎平淡

a sudden drop in a story, speech, or joke from something important or serious to something trivial, flat, or silly

例句

The speech ended with an anticlimax when Hugo thanked the hotel parking team.

那場演講最後忽然向飯店停車團隊道謝，形成語勢突降。

grand speech drops to trivial detail

In the film, the final battle ends in anticlimax over a broken microphone.

那部電影裡的最後決戰竟因一支壞掉的麥克風而語勢突降。

dramatic scene collapses into a minor problem

同義詞
  • bathos

    more formal and often used for a comic fall from the noble to the absurd

  • letdown

    can describe the audience's reaction, but not always the structural drop inside the wording

  • tonal shift

    broader because the tone can change in any direction, not only downward

反義詞
  • climax

    the moment when the story or speech reaches its highest force

文法句型

an anticlimax in the story

end with an anticlimax

create an anticlimax

the anticlimax comes when ...

用法筆記

This sense is common when discussing stories, speeches, jokes, or scenes with deliberate structure. It highlights a sudden drop in importance or tone, not simply a quiet or sad ending.

常見錯誤

❌The play's tragic ending was an anticlimax because it made everyone cry.
✅The play ended in anticlimax when the king's grand speech was followed by a joke about socks.
💡this sense needs a sudden drop to something smaller or sillier, not merely an emotional ending.