1
as in pinnacle
the highest part or point
the acme of their basketball season was their hard-won victory over last year's state champs
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2
as in apotheosis
the most perfect type or example
a movie that has come to be regarded as the acme of the Hollywood musical
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Recent Examples of acme
By 1998, when Lewis H. Lapham filed two reports on the WEF for this magazine, globalization and its political sister, Third Way politics, were at their acme.
—
Caitlín Doherty, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
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
Caitlín Doherty, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acme
Noun
-
For many people, going to Harvard University is the pinnacle of education, but in reality, less than four percent of applicants get accepted into the prestigious Ivy League school.—
Alyce Collins,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
-
An elite teenage athlete like Malinin ends up making trade offs in order to reach the pinnacle of his sport.—
Tim Genske,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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So, for that matter, is the recognizable Tim Horton’s Donut Shop sign written out in Farsi — a visual joke that doubles as the apotheosis of Rankin’s cross-cultural exchange program.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Feb. 2025
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This can be seen in its apotheosis on buildings such as 770 and 778 Park Avenue, both designed in early 1929.—
David Netto,
Curbed,
17 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
The ideal time for Feige to seize the Star Wars empire’s throne was after the mic drop that was two back-to-back blockbuster Avengers movies (2018’s Infinity War and 2019’s Endgame), back when Marvel was at a zenith.—
James Hibberd,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
-
And there have always been wineries that hold back a premium vintage longer than usual before releasing, waiting until a wine nears its zenith to be offered.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
And, of course, controlling access from on high is Brittany, the fairest and deadliest of them and played to evil brunette perfection by Susan Ward.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
-
After just a few strokes, my brows appeared fluffy, defined, and groomed to natural-looking perfection.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Consider height: Male individuals are, on average, about 8 percent taller than female ones.—
Agustín Fuentes,
Scientific American,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Other standard performance upgrades to the Carrera T include Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) with a lower ride height, the Sport Chrono pack, and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV).—
Michael Harley,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Rocket licensed the classic for its Super Bowl ad, which aired during the game.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Produced by Lionsgate Television and Blumhouse Television which recently partnered on a multi-film deal to conjure anew the horror classics from Lionsgate’s library.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Sam Fender has soared to the top of the U.K. Albums Chart with the biggest opening week for a British solo act since 2022 (Feb. 28).—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
28 Feb. 2025
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Such shakeups should make for an exciting night, as there aren’t many sure things at the top of the ballot.—
Chris Dobstaff,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Their revolutionary ideas about communal love were rooted in radically changing how people relate to one another and the programs inspired by these ideals demonstrated the profound capacity of collective care and solidarity.—
Mickell Carter / Made by History,
TIME,
19 Feb. 2025
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Luckily, designers are prepared with ladylike jackets with a roomier fit—ideal for pairing with some stirrup leggings and a heel or ballerina.—
Kerry Pieri,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acme. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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