nadir

noun

na·dir | \ ˈnā-ˌdir

, ˈnā-dər\

Definition of nadir

1 : the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer

2 : the lowest point

Synonyms & Antonyms Nadir Has Arabic Roots Example Sentences Learn More about nadir

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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 in the vocabulary of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry. Nadir derives from an Arabic word meaning "opposite"—the opposite, that is, of the zenith, or the highest point of the celestial sphere, the one vertically above the observer. (The word zenith itself is a modification of another Arabic word that means "the way over one's head.") The English poet John Donne is first on record as having used nadir in the figurative sense of "lowest point" in a sermon he wrote in 1627.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

After a difficult 2013, whose nadir came when the Copenhagen restaurant dropped one position on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, reclaiming the title the following year felt like redemption. — Lisa Abend, Time, "Why The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 List Is More Controversial Than Ever," 21 June 2019 The price is now nearing its 2018 nadir of around $63, recorded in July. — Rhiannon Hoyle, WSJ, "China’s Steel Glut Sinks Iron Ore," 27 Nov. 2018 The median weekly earnings of full-time workers in the middle of the pay ladder ended last year up 4.5 percent from their nadir in the spring of 2014, after accounting for inflation. — Eduardo Porter, New York Times, "Paychecks Are Getting Bigger. Don’t Get Too Used to It.," 27 Feb. 2018 Stylistically, too, the festival has reached its nadir. — Vogue, "Forget Coachella: These Far-Flung Alternatives Are Pushing Festival Style Forward," 9 Mar. 2019 European influence in Washington, already declining in the Obama years, has reached a nadir under Donald Trump. — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, "Incredible Shrinking Europe," 11 Feb. 2019 The nadir for me came during the rugged knockout game between Colombia and England. — Kanishk Tharoor, The Atlantic, "The Elusive Underdog Magic of the World Cup," 14 July 2018 The guru’s fortunes may not have hit their nadir, though. — Vidhi Doshi, Washington Post, "Prominent Indian guru gets a life sentence for raping a teenager," 25 Apr. 2018 Mel Gibson went from the heights of the Hollywood stratosphere to its nadir. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Mel Gibson has set the blueprint for a #MeToo comeback. Expect other men to follow it.," 24 July 2018

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