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
In truth, the show wasn’t exactly the nadir of Western civilization.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
At some point, this will reach a nadir, and then there’s only one direction to go.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
That dismissal of the state may have hit its nadir in 1986 when a $50-million federal center for earthquake research was given to Buffalo, N.Y., which hadn’t had an earthquake since 1929, instead of Berkeley, along the Hayward fault.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
But if season 1 was Fleabag's hilarious, fourth-wall-breaking race to her life's nadir, season 2 brings us her glorious and riotous redemption.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2024
The nadir of a season that has contained numerous low points came in early February with a cataclysmically awful 2-4 home loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
Ivory Coast only squeaked through to the knockout stages as one of the best third-place teams after a dismal group stage performance, the nadir coming in a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Equatorial Guinea as the Elephants suffered their biggest ever defeat on home soil.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024
Those covers have helped chronicle the Wildcats at various stages in their illustrious history, though that group does include at least one cover from the program’s nadir.
—Craig Meyer, The Courier-Journal, 19 Jan. 2024
If Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary marks the nadir of rap’s left-leaning activism then the Black August Project was its zenith.
—Timmhotep Aku, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2024
Judy Berman, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
At some point, this will reach a nadir, and then there’s only one direction to go.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
That dismissal of the state may have hit its nadir in 1986 when a $50-million federal center for earthquake research was given to Buffalo, N.Y., which hadn’t had an earthquake since 1929, instead of Berkeley, along the Hayward fault.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
But if season 1 was Fleabag's hilarious, fourth-wall-breaking race to her life's nadir, season 2 brings us her glorious and riotous redemption.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2024
The nadir of a season that has contained numerous low points came in early February with a cataclysmically awful 2-4 home loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
Ivory Coast only squeaked through to the knockout stages as one of the best third-place teams after a dismal group stage performance, the nadir coming in a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Equatorial Guinea as the Elephants suffered their biggest ever defeat on home soil.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024
Those covers have helped chronicle the Wildcats at various stages in their illustrious history, though that group does include at least one cover from the program’s nadir.
—Craig Meyer, The Courier-Journal, 19 Jan. 2024
If Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary marks the nadir of rap’s left-leaning activism then the Black August Project was its zenith.
—Timmhotep Aku, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nadir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near nadir
Cite this Entry
“Nadir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nadir. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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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