anticlimactic ending
Fizzled-out finale
An anticlimactic ending is a conclusion that fails to deliver the intensity or resolution the buildup promised.
The tension rises, expectations mount, then the story resolves weakly or abruptly: After all that suspense, the villain just tripped and died—what an anticlimactic ending.
The term applies to fiction, films, real events, or any situation where the finale disappoints relative to what preceded it.
- letdownFailure to satisfy expectations
- disappointmentSadness from unmet expectations
- fizzleFail after promising start
- damp squibUnderwhelming outcome after buildup
- deflatingReleasing contained gas
underwhelming · wet blanket · buildup · dud · whimper · flat · fell flat · unsatisfying · hollow · goes nowhere · abrupt · rushed · cop out · predictable · boring · expected · tension · hype
- writing flawstypos, spelling errors, plot hole, plot holes, cliche
- tragicomedyblack comedy, dramedy, dark humor, comic relief, seriocomedy
anticlimactic, anticlimax, climax, climactic, climaxes, climaxed, climaxing, ending, endings