Pinnacle is one of several words that aspire to both literal and figurative heights. Others include summit,peak,climax,apex,acme, and culmination. All of these can refer to the highest point of a mountain or structure, or the highest point attained or attainable over a person's lifetime, career, etc. When referring to part of a building, pinnacle describes a projection on top of a tower (as on a Gothic cathedral). The word derives via Anglo-French from Late Latin pinnaculum, meaning "small wing," a diminutive of pinna, meaning "wing or battlement." When used figuratively, pinnacle sometimes implies a dizzying and insecure height, such as that brought on by unexpected fame.
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 pinnacle in a Sentence
Noun
a singer who has reached the pinnacle of success
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
His grandfather was Louis B. Mayer, the gregarious Canadian immigrant who led Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to the pinnacle of art and commerce during Hollywood’s 1930s and ’40s Golden Age.—William Earl, Variety, 3 Aug. 2024 Article is the pinnacle of direct-to-consumer gold.—Erin Lassner, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Aug. 2024
Verb
Mark Margolis, the longtime character actor whose career pinnacled with unforgettable arcs on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has died at the age of 83.—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2023 One father, two sons, all coaching their teams to pinnacle moments of their seasons.—Matt Goul, cleveland, 19 Mar. 2021 See all Example Sentences for pinnacle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pinnacle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English pinacle, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pinnaculum small wing, gable, from Latin pinna wing, battlement
Share