anticlimaxes
Buildups without payoffs
Anticlimaxes is the plural of anticlimax—a disappointing letdown after buildup or expectation.
A story builds tension toward a confrontation that fizzles; a speech rises to a grand conclusion that falls flat.
The ending was one of cinema's great anticlimaxes.
In rhetoric, anticlimax can be deliberate bathos for comic effect.
Sadness from unmet expectations
- fizzleFail after promising start
- damp squibUnderwhelming outcome after buildup
- non-eventDisappointing lack of significance
- washoutComplete failure or cancellation
flop · bust · bummer · downer · comedown · deflation · underwhelming · unfulfilling
Story's final unraveling
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
- finaleConcluding part of performance
- endingFinal portion of something
- conclusionEnd or deduction
plot twist · subversion · misdirection · storyline · buildup · suspense · tension · payoff
disappointment
Sadness from unmet expectations
- fizzleFail after promising start
- damp squibUnderwhelming outcome after buildup
- non-eventDisappointing lack of significance
washout · flop · bust · bummer · downer · comedown · deflation · underwhelming · unfulfilling · disillusionment
denouement
Story's final unraveling
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
- finaleConcluding part of performance
- endingFinal portion of something
conclusion · plot twist · subversion · misdirection · storyline · buildup · suspense · tension · payoff · reveal
anticipation
State of awaiting something
- buildupGradual accumulation over time
- hypeExaggerated promotional fanfare
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
foreshadowing · prelude · setup · promise · prospect · hope · tension · momentum · excitement · lead-up
anticlimaxesclimaxes
Points of greatest intensity
grand finales · culminations · crescendos · capstones · peaks
anticlimaxestriumphs
Overwhelming victories
breakthroughs · revelations · bombshells · stunners · coups de grâce