anti-climax
Buildup without payoff
An anti-climax is a disappointing letdown after a buildup of expectation.
In narrative, it's when tension rises toward what seems like a dramatic peak, only to resolve in something underwhelming or trivial: After all that suspense, the ending was a complete anti-climax.
The term extends to any situation where anticipated excitement fizzles: The party was an anti-climax after weeks of planning.
Also spelled anticlimax.
Failure to satisfy expectations
- deflatedEmptied of pressure
- unfulfilledNot brought to completion
- unsatisfyingFailing to gratify
- fizzleFail after promising start
dashed hopes · disillusionment · crestfallen · disenchantment · frustration · disheartened · chagrin · dud
Deflating descent in tone
- buildupGradual accumulation over time
- tensionStretched or strained state
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
- denouementStory's final unraveling
plot · finale · payoff · crescendo · turning point · falling action · story arc · pacing
letdown
Failure to satisfy expectations
- deflatedEmptied of pressure
- unfulfilledNot brought to completion
- unsatisfyingFailing to gratify
fizzle · dashed hopes · disillusionment · crestfallen · disenchantment · frustration · disheartened · chagrin · dud · flop
bathos
Deflating descent in tone
- buildupGradual accumulation over time
- tensionStretched or strained state
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
denouement · plot · finale · payoff · crescendo · turning point · falling action · story arc · pacing · suspense
- experimental narrativemetafiction, nonlinear plot, fragmented narrative, unreliable narrator, stream of consciousness
anti-climaxclimax
Point of greatest intensity
crescendo · culmination · grand finale · crowning moment · payoff
anti-climaxclimax
Point of greatest intensity
dramatic climax · nail-biter · cliffhanger · showdown · fireworks
anti-climaxfulfillment
State of achieved purpose
vindication · catharsis · reward · payoff · triumph