Acme - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms (original) (raw)
Other forms: acmes
When something is at the very peak of perfection, reach for this noun from Greek: acme. A brilliant violinist might reach the acme of her career, but eventually she might become unstrung.
This noun referring to the highest point of something might sound comical because it has shown up so often in cartoons as the name of a company, such as the one that makes Wile E. Coyote's contraptions in the old Warner Brothers cartoons. But the word is actually a serious-minded import from Greek. Near synonyms for high points include zenith, summit, pinnacle, apex, and peak, but acme has a special nuance for an ultimate point of perfection.
Definitions of acme
- noun
the highest point (of something)
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types:
crown
the part of a hat (the vertex) that covers the crown of the head - noun
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
“his landscapes were deemed the acme of beauty”
“the artist's gifts are at their acme”
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type of:
degree, level, point, stage
a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process
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