zenith

noun ze·nith \ ˈzē-nəth , Canadian also and British usually ˈze-nəth , -nith \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of zenith

1 : the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer — see azimuth illustration

2 : the highest point reached in the heavens by a celestial body

3 : culminating point : acme

at the zenith of his powers
—John Buchan

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Examples of zenith in a Sentence

at the zenith of her career as a dancer

Recent Examples of zenith from the Web

Nevertheless, my father had the privilege of seeing Muster at both his zenith and his nadir.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "As Miami Open tennis tournament wraps up on Key Biscayne, readers share fond memories," 2 Apr. 2018
That said, the music industry is still a long way from its zenith.

— emily price, Fortune, "For the First Time in Years, CDs and Vinyl Outsold Digital Music Downloads," 23 Mar. 2018
The programming on that first Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam album was so on point, so at the zenith.

— ron hart, Billboard, "Meshell Ndegeocello Talks Revisiting R&B Gems for Covers Album & Why Bruno Mars Is 'Karaoke'," 6 Mar. 2018
Her eclectic style has reached its zenith in her diminutive Canton rowhouse.

— christianna mccausland, baltimoresun.com, "Acquired taste: At Chef Nancy Longo's Canton rowhouse, every item tells a story," 22 Mar. 2018
This was the zenith of the Patterson era when the Frogs went 25-1 in a two-year period, earned their first BCS bowl berth and went 13-0 and won the Rose Bowl in 2010.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "If history holds, TCU football should have another strong season in 2018 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 21 Mar. 2018
Despite careening and failing politically, Navarro has risen to the zenith in another realm, as an economist.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Navarro's shifting political affiliations didn't work, consistency on trade did," 9 Mar. 2018
Between 2012 and 2013, sketch comedy reached its cultural zenith.

— brian raftery, WIRED, "Facebook Didn't Kill Online Sketch Comedy—The Entire Internet Did," 8 Mar. 2018
After six months 15,000 machine tools had been replaced and 25,000 others rebuilt, so that the Rouge was ready to make the new Model A. At its zenith the factory employed 100,000 people.

— The Economist, "When giants ruled the worldAn insightful history of giant factories," 1 Mar. 2018

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

Reaching the zenith

When you reach the zenith, you're at the top, the pinnacle, the summit, the peak. Zenith developed from Arabic terms meaning "the way over one's head," and then traveled through Old Spanish, Medieval Latin, and Middle French before arriving in English. As long ago as the 1300s, English speakers used zenith to name the highest point in the celestial heavens, directly overhead. By the 1600s, zenith was being used for other high points as well. The celestial term is often contrasted with nadir, or the point that is vertically downward from the observer (imagine a line going through the earth from the observer's feet and out the other side into the sky). Figuratively, nadir simply means "the lowest point."

Origin and Etymology of zenith

Middle English cenyth, senyth, from Middle French cenit, from Medieval Latin, from Old Spanish zenit, modification of Arabic samt (al-ra's) way (over one's head)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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