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Definitions

peripeteia

[per-uh-pi-tahy-uh, -tee-uh] / ˌpɛr ə pɪˈtaɪ ə, -ˈti ə /
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 pinch pivot pivotal moment point of no return race against time rising action 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.

That was called peripeteia, meaning a dramatic reversal of fortune.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2025

But the most crucial element of tragedy as he saw it was peripeteia: reversals of fortune.

From The Guardian • Jun. 21, 2013

To allow oneself to be twisted this way and that by peripeteia is one of the great pleasures of courtroom dramas.

From The Guardian • Jun. 21, 2013

There must needs be a swift transition, a clash and change from sorrow to joy, what the Greeks called a peripeteia, a quick-turn-round, because, though you carry out Winter, you bring in Summer.

From Ancient Art and Ritual by Harrison, Jane Ellen

"When the heir returneth, then shall ring the bell, so the legend runneth, so the old men tell"; in some such words was this grand peripeteia announced in the text.

From Far Off Things by Machen, Arthur