Word
crowning
Phoneticscrown·ing
US/ˈkɹaʊnɪŋ/
UK/kɹˈaʊnɪŋ/
Definition
adj. describing the best or most important part of something that has already been successful. It is like the final prize at the end of a long journey.
adj. representing the greatest or most significant achievement in a series of events. Typically used attributively to describe a final, climactic success.
Examples
“Winning the gold medal was the crowning moment of her career.”
“The architect considered the new library to be the crowning achievement of his forty-year professional life.”
“After decades of diplomatic tension, the signing of the peace treaty served as the crowning glory of the administration's foreign policy efforts.”
Examples
simple
“Winning the gold medal was the crowning moment of her career.”
contextual
“The architect considered the new library to be the crowning achievement of his forty-year professional life.”
complex
“After decades of diplomatic tension, the signing of the peace treaty served as the crowning glory of the administration's foreign policy efforts.”
Usage
Typically used attributively before a noun like 'achievement', 'moment', or 'glory'.
Real-World Examples
“Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, his crowning international honor.” “The triumphant night in Istanbul, when Watkins helped Villa end their 30-year wait for a trophy as they beat Freiburg to win the Europa League, currently stand as a crowning glory.” Etymology
From Middle English crowninge, crounende, equivalent to crown + -ing.
From Middle English crouninge, crounynge, coroning, coronyng, equivalent to crown + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/crowning