acme

noun

ac·​me ˈak-mē 

: the highest point or stage

the acme of his fame

also : something or someone that represents perfection of the thing expressed

a system that is the acme of efficiency

Did you know?

In Greek, acme meant a mountain peak, but in English we hardly ever use it in the physical sense. Instead we speak of someone's new job as the acme of her career, or of a certain leap as the acme of classical dance technique. In old Road Runner cartoons, the Acme Company is the provider of every ingenious device imaginable. But the word can't always be taken quite literally as a brand or company name; it's possible, for instance, that something called the Acme Bar & Grill may not be the absolutely highest and best example of a bar and grill. And don't confuse acme with acne, the skin disorder—even though both actually come from the same word.

Synonyms

• apex
• apogee
• capstone
• climax
• crescendo
• crest
• crown
• culmination
• head
• height
• high noon
• high-water mark
• meridian
• ne plus ultra
• noon
• noontime
• peak
• pinnacle
• sum
• summit
• tip-top
• top
• zenith

Choose the Right Synonym for acme

summit, peak, pinnacle, climax, apex, acme, culmination mean the highest point attained or attainable.

summit implies the topmost level attainable.

at the summit of the Victorian social scene

peak suggests the highest among other high points.

an artist working at the peak of her powers

pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height.

the pinnacle of worldly success

climax implies the highest point in an ascending series.

the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions

apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge.

the apex of Dutch culture

acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing.

a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty

culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective.

the culmination of years of effort

Examples of acme in a Sentence

His fame was at its acme.

the acme of their basketball season was their hard-won victory over last year's state champs

Recent Examples on the Web

The sentence on Cafe Kestrel’s menu is the battle cry of the heroic rabbit Bigwig, shouted in righteous rage at the leader of the enemy tribe of rabbits, at the acme of the story’s great climactic battle. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024

The Dior headquarters on the Avenue Montaigne, where the house’s presentations unfolded, were a polished foil to his clothes: gray rooms that were the acme of Belle Époque chic. —Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024

Liang’s political writings reached something of a creative acme in exile, where he was energized by Japanese intellectuals and their bountiful translations of Western texts. —Chang Che, The New Yorker, 30 July 2024

The Iraq war, which began 20 years ago, represents the acme of American military folly—second only to the Vietnam War. —Andrew J. Bacevich, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023

This is the acme of the true fantasy—not attracting a young man with chiseled cheekbones, perfect teeth, and the ability to wear a thick cardigan on a very hot day without even a bead of sweat—but actually being noticed. —Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 1 May 2024

Compared to previous off-year elections with the same types of races on the ballot, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania all had their highest turnout since at least 2011, and Kentucky and Virginia came very close to matching their turnout acmes from 2019. —Tia Yang, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2023

Instead, Trump best serves as a sort of touchstone for understanding McMahon’s particular vein of post-truth, and the acme of society’s larger embrace of the same. —Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2023

In each case, California was held up as the acme of civilization, and Fraser as a figure who knew almost nothing, bore no ill will, and was ready to be happily surprised. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek akmḗ "point, highest point, culmination," from ak- (going back to Indo-European *h₂eḱ- "pointed") + -mē, noun suffix — more at edge entry 1

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

acme

noun

ac·​me ˈak-mē 

: the highest point : peak

the acme of perfection

Medical Definition

acme

noun

ac·​me ˈak-mē 

: the highest or most critical point or stage (as of growth or development)