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 eerily thrilling dénouement must be seen and heard to be believed.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
The movie’s terrifying dénouement emerges in another seven-minute shot, in which hints and premonitions are transformed into passions and horrors and in which landscape—and, as per the title, a seascape—appear not simply as backdrops but as dramatic and intellectual engines of the story.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
By then, the staging — especially a scene-seating capsizing of the boat, which makes room for the lifeboat — was in place, and the gruesome denouement also remained.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2025
In a tragic Lynchian dénouement, Richard Farnsworth, who played Alvin Straight, shot himself a year after the film was released.
—Barry Blitt, airmail.news, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
The movie’s terrifying dénouement emerges in another seven-minute shot, in which hints and premonitions are transformed into passions and horrors and in which landscape—and, as per the title, a seascape—appear not simply as backdrops but as dramatic and intellectual engines of the story.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
By then, the staging — especially a scene-seating capsizing of the boat, which makes room for the lifeboat — was in place, and the gruesome denouement also remained.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2025
In a tragic Lynchian dénouement, Richard Farnsworth, who played Alvin Straight, shot himself a year after the film was released.
—Barry Blitt, airmail.news, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denouement
Noun
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In Wednesday’s 3-2 loss in Cleveland — the Sox’s seventh straight defeat, a skid that reached eight in Thursday’s series finale — Mike Tauchman walked into the final out in the ninth after injuring a hamstring rounding third as the tying run.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
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Detroit and Milwaukee will square off Sunday for the regular-season finale.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As previously reported, the actor is set to reprise his role on the offshoot, and this bit of info from Harvey, tying Hardman to Ted’s Big Bad, certainly helps piece together the why and how, as does, possibly, the episode’s ending.—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
13 Apr. 2025
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Drake was also accused of refusing to identify a person who rewrote the ending of the film, and who was not a guild member.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Across the music world, other international artists — even those with far more name recognition and resources — are coming to the same conclusion.—
Alex Ashley,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2025
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Studies from New Zealand, Sweden, and elsewhere have come to similar conclusions, finding no negative effect of low levels of fluoride on IQ.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Snow is best known for being part of the ensemble cast in Universal’s Pitch Perfect and its two sequels.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
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Flanagan has adapted numerous novels from King in the past, including The Life of Chuck, The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And Sunday night’s finale episode left the rest of the cast — and viewers — reeling in the aftermath.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
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Everything about it is suspicious: the fact that Rosemary married BJ in the aftermath, that the fire happened in the first place, and that BJ himself was the next to go.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In just one transporting sequence that’s almost too much to take in, Coogler traces a line from the blues of the 1930s back to its origins and forward to its influences on funk and beyond.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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This detonation will spew material at the other white dwarf, triggering the same devastating sequence.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Denouement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denouement. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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