acme
acme Lexical Profile
acme Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful; the highest stage of development or achievement.
"Critics widely regard the cathedral's intricate stained-glass windows as the acme of medieval Gothic artistry."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse "acme" (the highest point of achievement or perfection) with "acne" (a common skin condition). Because "Acme" begins with the first letter of the alphabet and means the pinnacle, it was historically adopted by countless businesses—and famously satirized in cartoons—to appear first in alphabetical telephone directories.
• Rhymes for acme
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century directly from Ancient Greek akmē, meaning "point, edge, or highest point of anything," derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ak- ("to be sharp" or "to rise to a point"), which also gave English "acute" and "acid."