pinnacle

pinnacle — 名詞

1. the highest point that someone or something reaches in a career, sport, art, or

1.名詞C1
釋義

巔峰；頂點

成就、事業或發展的最高點

the highest point that someone or something reaches in a career, sport, art, or any field where progress can be measured — the moment when nothing greater seems possible.

例句

Winning the Olympic gold medal was the pinnacle of Maya's swimming career.

贏得奧運金牌是 Maya 游泳生涯的巔峰。

the pinnacle of [someone's] career

Many critics call the novel the pinnacle of twentieth-century Japanese literature.

許多評論家稱這部小說為二十世紀日本文學的頂點。

the pinnacle of + field of art/work

常見搭配
  • the pinnacle of success
  • the pinnacle of one's career
  • reach the pinnacle
  • stand at the pinnacle
  • the very pinnacle
同義詞
  • peak

    more everyday and shorter; can be physical or figurative

  • summit

    often used in business or political contexts; suggests effort to climb

  • zenith

    literary; emphasises the brief moment of greatest power or fame

  • apex

    more technical or formal; common in writing about history or biology

反義詞
  • nadir

    formal — the lowest point, the opposite end of the same scale

  • low point

    everyday phrasing for the worst moment

文法句型

the pinnacle of + noun

用法筆記

Almost always singular and preceded by 'the'. Subject of the 'of'-phrase is typically an abstract field (career, achievement, success, art, sport) rather than a physical thing. Strong positive connotation — implies the very top, with little room above.

常見錯誤

She is at a pinnacle of her career.
She is at the pinnacle of her career.
almost always definite article 'the', not 'a'.
The pinnacles of his career were many.
The high points of his career were many.
'pinnacle' usually names one single highest moment, so plural sounds odd.

2. a small, tall, pointed structure standing on the upper edge or corner of a build

2.名詞C2
釋義

尖塔；尖峰

建築上的小尖塔，或岩石的尖頂

a small, tall, pointed structure standing on the upper edge or corner of a building, often carved in stone and shaped like a thin spire — common on Gothic churches and old castles. Also used for a sharp pointed peak of a rock or mountain.

例句

Stone pinnacles rose from each corner of the cathedral roof.

石造尖塔從大教堂屋頂的每個角落聳立而起。

stone pinnacles on cathedral / church roof

Carved pinnacles topped the Gothic church in the village of Saint-Émilion.

雕花的小尖塔妝點著 Saint-Émilion 村裡的哥德式教堂。

carved pinnacles + topped + building

常見搭配
  • stone pinnacle
  • Gothic pinnacle
  • rocky pinnacle
  • carved pinnacle
  • pinnacle of rock
同義詞
  • spire

    the tall pointed top of a tower; usually larger and more central than a pinnacle

  • turret

    small tower at the corner of a building, but rounded or square — not necessarily pointed

  • peak

    more general word for any pointed mountain top

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is concrete and physical, modified by adjectives like 'stone', 'carved', 'narrow', 'rocky'. Often appears in tour-guide writing, architecture history, and mountaineering accounts. The 'of'-phrase, when it appears, names a material (pinnacle of rock) or a building (pinnacle of the cathedral) — not an achievement.

常見錯誤

The church has a tall pinnacle on the front, where bells ring.
The church has a tall steeple on the front, where bells ring.
'pinnacle' is a small decorative spire, not the main bell tower; 'steeple' is the right word.
They climbed up to the pinnacle of the hill for the view.
They climbed up to the top of the hill for the view.
gentle hilltops are not 'pinnacles'; the word needs a sharp, pointed peak.

同根字

  • pinnacled
    形容詞C2

常見搭配

名詞搭配

  • success
  • career
  • achievement
  • fame
  • power
  • art
  • fashion
  • sport
  • rock
  • cathedral

副詞搭配

  • very (the very pinnacle)
  • absolute (the absolute pinnacle)

常用片語

  • reach the pinnacle of
  • at the pinnacle of one's career
  • the very pinnacle of
  • stand at the pinnacle

介系詞搭配

  • of (the pinnacle of success)
  • at (at the pinnacle)
  • to (rise to the pinnacle)