variants
also dénouement
as in finale
formal
the final part of something (such as a book, a play, or a series of events)
In the play's denouement, the two lovers kill themselves. the competition's exciting denouement
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of denouement
The moments before the fatal shooting fill the grid’s upper half, while the tragic denouement unfolds at a viewer’s vulnerable eye-level.
—
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
A bit less intense than the rant from ‘El Loco’, Marsch’s criticisms felt like the perfect denouement, perhaps the harshest criticisms levelled against a tournament that has been widely scrutinized since its opening match.
—Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Instead, the final episodes are a disappointing, sloppy denouement that replaces the show’s initial creepy confusion for bored exhaustion.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
What other sport would have just a smattering of spectators for the denouement of a domestic competition?
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for denouement 
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
A bit less intense than the rant from ‘El Loco’, Marsch’s criticisms felt like the perfect denouement, perhaps the harshest criticisms levelled against a tournament that has been widely scrutinized since its opening match.
—Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Instead, the final episodes are a disappointing, sloppy denouement that replaces the show’s initial creepy confusion for bored exhaustion.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
What other sport would have just a smattering of spectators for the denouement of a domestic competition?
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for denouement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denouement
Noun
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In between New Blood and the forthcoming Resurrection is Dexter: Original Sin, the currently airing prequel series that releases its finale this weekend.—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Feb. 2025
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Prequel series Dexter: Original Sin will release its Season 1 finale this Friday, Feb. 14, on the Paramount+ With Showtime streamer; the episode will air on the linear Paramount+ With Showtime Sunday, Feb. 16 at 10/9c.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Or does so only briefly in the ambiguous ending, when Sofia throws off the last vestiges of her passivity and forces her recalcitrant mother into a reckoning with her condition.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Feb. 2025
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Hot Milk is spare, rigorously structured but enigmatic, with a shocking ending that could fuel weeks of argument.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Tennessean last week celebrated the conclusion of its inaugural Journalism Academy program for Tennessee college students.—
Cassandra Stephenson,
The Tennessean,
12 Feb. 2025
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With the conclusion of the 2024 NFL season and Super Bowl LIX in the rearview, teams are already eyeing prospects.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The sequel, which fast-forwards seven years from the original, finds teenage Dhunu at a crossroads between her childhood dreams and the harsh realities of adulthood.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
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Starring Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert, the 1986 action-adventure fantasy film grossed just $5.9 million but became a popular title in home video and pay-TV windows, spawning multiple sequels.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Many of us have been witness to the aftermath of a toddler being refused one of their many requests.—
Renee Winick,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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The fate of Lupita Nyong’o’s home is still unknown in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Alejandro is captured playing a vinyl record in a Seventies scene before a dream sequence of the singer surrounded by women behind a red curtain, seemingly seducing him and his thoughts.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2025
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Instead, numerous Chelsea sequences of possession ended with Jadon Sancho or Pedro Neto clipping crosses towards no one in particular with Nkunku, Palmer — or both — loitering just outside the Brighton penalty area.—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
9 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near denouement
Cite this Entry
“Denouement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denouement. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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