apex

noun

ˈā-ˌpeks 

plural apexes or apices ˈā-pə-ˌsēz 

ˈa-

1

a

: the uppermost point : vertex

the apex of a mountain

b

: the narrowed or pointed end : tip

the apex of the tongue

2

: the highest or culminating point

the apex of his career

3

: the point of sharpest curvature in a path (such as that followed by a turning vehicle)

a driver hitting the apex as he races around a corner

At the apex of the turn his rear wheels apparently came unstuck from the oil-drenched groove.

—Robert F. Jones

Did you know?

Apex entered English from Latin, where it originally meant "a small rod at the top of a flamen's cap." What's a flamen's cap? Flamens were priests who devoted themselves to serving just one of the many ancient Roman gods (for instance, just Jupiter or Mars). Those priests wore distinctive conical caps that English speakers dubbed "flamen's caps." Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century dramatist Ben Jonson was one of the few English writers known to have used "apex" in its flamen's-cap sense: "Upon his head a hat of delicate wool, whose top ended in a cone, and was thence called apex."

Synonyms

• acme
• 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 apex

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 apex in a Sentence

she reached the apex of fame, only to find it wasn't what she expected

the apex of the spear

Recent Examples on the Web

Eighteen years in, the very conceit of Eras — going album by album to draw a towering portrait of Swift’s catalogue in 44 songs — challenged those cultural ideas while fortifying her place at pop’s apex. —Jenn Pelly, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024

At her career apex, Pitt probably now knows of Nikki Glaser. —Anna Peele, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024

As the holiday season nears its apex, retailers are busy. —Brooke Seipel, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2024

Aquatic apex predators aren’t the only challenge faced by Gladiator II’s Lucius Verus (played by Paul Mescal). —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

apex

noun

ˈā-ˌpeks 

plural apexes or apices ˈā-pə-ˌsēz 

ˈap-ə-

1

: the uppermost point : top

apex of a mountain

2

: tip entry 4 sense 1

apex of the tongue

3

: the highest point

at the apex of her career

Medical Definition

apex

noun

ˈā-ˌpeks 

plural apexes or apices ˈā-pə-ˌsēz 

: a narrowed or pointed end of an anatomical structure: as

a

: the narrow somewhat conical upper part of a lung extending into the root

b

: the lower pointed end of the heart situated in humans opposite the space between the cartilages of the fifth and sixth ribs on the left side

c

: the extremity of the root of a tooth