apogee

noun

apo·​gee ˈa-pə-(ˌ)jē 

1

: the point in the orbit of an object (such as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is at the greatest distance from the center of the earth

also : the point farthest from a planet or a satellite (such as the moon) reached by an object orbiting it compare perigee

2

: the farthest or highest point : culmination

Aegean civilization reached its apogee in Crete.

apogean

ˌa-pə-ˈjē-ən 

adjective

Illustration of apogee

• apogee 1

Did you know?

Of Apogees, Climaxes, and Culminations

Apogee is often used in its figurative sense, signifying the high point of a career, endeavor, or state (“she was at the apogee of her profession”). This meaning developed as a metaphorical extension of the word’s astronomical sense, denoting the farthest distance from earth of an object orbiting the planet.

A number of other English words that are synonymous with apogee have followed a similar path of figurative development from a technical meaning. Climax (“the most interesting and exciting part of something”) came into English as a term for a series of phrases arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness. And, very much like apogee, culmination (“the final result of something”) is also rooted in astronomy: it originally referred to the highest point a celestial body reaches in its daily revolution (for example, the sun’s height at noon).

Synonyms

• zenith
• pinnacle
• culmination
• height
• peak
• top
• apex

Examples of apogee in a Sentence

shag carpeting reached the apogee of its popularity in the 1970s but is now considered outdated

Recent Examples on the Web

The Club World Cup and World Cup are in separate orbits, with the latter extravaganza enjoying a much loftier apogee. —Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

The notion of a singular tentpole was always a bit of an illusion anyway, even during the early days of the first Trump Administration, when Maddow was No. 1 in prime time and perhaps at the apogee of her cultural relevance, for better or worse. —Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 9 May 2025

In hindsight, the Pepsi Pavilion was really the apogee for the art-and-technology movement that burst forth in the mid-1960s. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 Feb. 2020

The technical term for this is an apogee full moon, which happens when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

French apogée, from New Latin apogaeum, from Greek apogaion, from neuter of apogeios, apogaios far from the earth, from apo- + gē, gaia earth

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for apogee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

apogee

noun

apo·​gee ˈap-ə-(ˌ)jē 

: the point farthest from the center of a heavenly body (as the earth or the moon) reached by an object (as a satellite) orbiting it compare perigee