rising action

[rahy-zing ak-shuhn] / ˈraɪ zɪŋ ˈæk ʃən /

NOUN

turning point

Synonyms

STRONGEST

climax critical point crux culmination juncture twist

WEAK

axis change climacteric contingency crisis critical mass critical moment critical period crossing crossroads crucial moment crucial occurrence crucial period crunch cusp decisive moment defining moment development emergency exigency high noon hinge kairotic moment moment of truth nexus pass peak peripeteia pinch pivot pivotal moment point of no return race against time shift strait transition turn of the tide when push comes to shove zero hour

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s just the preceding rising action that feels a bit underwhelming.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2024

His recent work delved into the “narrative identities” patients formed around the illness—that is, the way they view the arc of their life, the stuff that counts as important exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2022

Introduced in the exposition and developed in the rising action, this incident sets the mood of the story and engages readers.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

They also follow a pattern: there is the introduction, rising action, a climax, a complication, falling action, and then a conclusion and resolution.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2019

At the close of this scene Cassius lays his plans to win Brutus over to the conspiracy, and the complication, or rising action, of the drama begins.

From The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Cæsar by Black, Ebenezer Charlton

rising action

Example Sentences

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