Illustration of nadir
- 1 nadir
- 2 observer
- 3 zenith
1
: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer
2
: the lowest point
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Nadir Has Arabic Roots
Nadir is part of the galaxy of scientific words that have come to us from Arabic, a language that has made important contributions to the English lexicon especially in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry. The source of nadir is naḍhīr, meaning "opposite"—the opposite, that is, of the zenith, the highest point of the celestial sphere which is positioned vertically above the observer. (The word zenith itself is a modification of another Arabic word that means "the way over one's head.") According to our sources, usage of nadir reached an apex in the 1980s. But worry not for the word’s future: it’s still flying high.
Examples of nadir in a Sentence
Nantucket reached its nadir in the post-Civil War period. The whaling industry had become moribund, many New Englanders had been lured to California by the discovery of gold, and the island population dropped from ten thousand in 1830 to scarcely more than three thousand in 1880.
—
David H. Wood, Antiques, August 1995
But then, at the very nadir of that dark abandoned moment, that moment of despair and sickness unto death, …
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993
My nadir was the time I presented an oral book report on "Les Misérables," having read only the Classic Comics version …
—Stephen Jay Gould, New York Times Book Review, 12 Oct. 1986
The relationship between the two countries reached a nadir in the 1920s.
the discussion really reached its nadir when people resorted to name-calling
David H. Wood, Antiques, August 1995
But then, at the very nadir of that dark abandoned moment, that moment of despair and sickness unto death, …
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993
My nadir was the time I presented an oral book report on "Les Misérables," having read only the Classic Comics version …
—Stephen Jay Gould, New York Times Book Review, 12 Oct. 1986
The relationship between the two countries reached a nadir in the 1920s.
the discussion really reached its nadir when people resorted to name-calling
Recent Examples on the Web
And attitudes toward the U.S. among Greenland’s population of 57,000 are at a nadir.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 28 Mar. 2025
Those were the first words uttered on this Fox 2005 series that then proceeded to immediately exploit those bonds in what could arguably be described as the network’s true moral nadir.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
In retrospect, this was the height (or perhaps the nadir) of a kind of purity-test politics that was making some swing voters, including Rogan, feel less at home in the Democratic coalition.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
His public image reached its nadir with the 2018 slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, believed by the United States and others to be at the prince’s orders.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nadir
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Laura Kelly, The Hill, 28 Mar. 2025
Those were the first words uttered on this Fox 2005 series that then proceeded to immediately exploit those bonds in what could arguably be described as the network’s true moral nadir.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
In retrospect, this was the height (or perhaps the nadir) of a kind of purity-test politics that was making some swing voters, including Rogan, feel less at home in the Democratic coalition.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
His public image reached its nadir with the 2018 slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, believed by the United States and others to be at the prince’s orders.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nadir
Cite this Entry
“Nadir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nadir. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nadir
noun
na·dir
ˈnā-ˌdi(ə)r 
ˈnād-ər
1
: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and directly under the observer
2
: the lowest point
our hopes reached their nadir
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