denouement
noun
de·noue·ment
ˌdā-ˌnü-ˈmäⁿ 
dā-ˈnü-ˌmäⁿ
dā-ˈnü-ˌmäⁿ
variants
or less commonly dénouement
plural denouements also dénouements
1
: the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a novel, play, film, etc.
In the novel's denouement, the two hostages escape to freedom.
It is an intentionally unsettling denouement, which is in keeping with the tone and purpose of the entire miniseries.—
David Wiegand
David Wiegand2
: the outcome of a complex sequence of events
the competition's exciting denouement
Examples of denouement in a Sentence
In the play's denouement, the two lovers kill themselves.
Recent Examples on the Web
Any larger Hollywood studio would have likely insisted on a grander finale, but The Death of Robin Hood, produced by A24, left me pondering the foolishness of my need for such a denouement.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
The Canadian content funding crisis have been a long time coming, only for the denouement to quickly unfold ahead of Banff.
—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
This may be the denouement of all of Nilsson’s multitudinous and swarming work.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Not in the sense of maximising their chances of lifting the trophy, though defeats in the last two FA Cup finals have marked out Pep Guardiola’s side as surprisingly beatable at the denouement of this particular competition.
—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
The Canadian content funding crisis have been a long time coming, only for the denouement to quickly unfold ahead of Banff.
—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
This may be the denouement of all of Nilsson’s multitudinous and swarming work.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Not in the sense of maximising their chances of lifting the trophy, though defeats in the last two FA Cup finals have marked out Pep Guardiola’s side as surprisingly beatable at the denouement of this particular competition.
—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Cite this Entry
“Denouement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denouement. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
denouement
noun
de·noue·ment
ˌdā-ˌnü-ˈmän
dā-ˈnü-ˌ
dā-ˈnü-ˌ
1
: the final solution or untangling of the conflicts or difficulties that make up the plot of a literary work
2
: the outcome of a complicated or difficult situation or sequence of events
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
