Definition of APOGEE

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).

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shag carpeting reached the apogee of its popularity in the 1970s but is now considered outdated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

Late last week, the vehicle launched by a Falcon Heavy rocket in February reached its first apogee from the Sun at a distance of 1.66 Astronomical Units, or about 250 million km, which puts it well beyond the orbit of Mars. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: SpaceX gets top clearance, Europe job cuts, Russian plans," 16 Nov. 2018 The Flying Cloud, while not the largest clipper ever built, may be taken for the apogee of this trend. — Randall Fuller, WSJ, "‘Barons of the Sea’ Review: Rigging the Market," 19 July 2018 At the blazing apogee of the Second World War, a poignant essay on the embattled life of refugees and immigrants was published in an obscure 1943 journal. — Amro Ali, Time, "Denmark’s “Ghetto” Policies Are an Ominous Sign That Liberal Europe Is Starting to Unravel at the Seams," 3 July 2018 This is lightning in a bottle: the Beatles and Beatlemania at their apogee, with all the requisite screaming, racing and mop-top clowning. — Jordan Hoffman, New York Times, "Where to Stream the Best, and the Most Ridiculous, of the Beatles on Film," 9 July 2018 At its farthest point, or apogee, TESS will have an unobstructed view of the sky and will move beyond interference from the Van Allen radiation belts, which encircle Earth. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Five Things to Know About NASA’s New Planet-Hunting Satellite," 17 Apr. 2018 Still, the five-day Test match is the apogee of the sport. — Chris Stokel-walker, chicagotribune.com, "Cricket races to save itself from years of declining popularity," 14 May 2018 The spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK, will conduct thruster burns at apogee (farthest point from Earth) and perigee (closest point to Earth) for 4 or 5 orbits. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Launch of NASA's TESS Space Telescope Scrubbed Until Wednesday (Updated)," 16 Apr. 2018 The International Space Station, which orbits at an apogee—or high point—of 252 miles, must periodically fire its thrusters to make up for this slow erosion of altitude and speed. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, "China's Falling Space Station Won't Land On Your Head. Probably.," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apogee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.