: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer
2
: the lowest point
Illustration of nadir
1 nadir
2 observer
3 zenith
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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.
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 1995But 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, 1993My 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
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The original promise of the Israeli state was to end, once and for all, the dependency and the powerlessness of an exilic people who had suffered antisemitic persecution for centuries—a dark history that reached its nadir in the Nazi death camps.—David Remnick, New Yorker, 21 June 2025 Many supporters accepted Trump's apology and shifted attention to past allegations against Bill Clinton—a counteroffensive that reached its nadir when Trump invited Clinton's past accusers as his guests to the debate.
4.—Carlo Versano
jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025 During the nadir of the tariff policy, those voters were plainly displeased.—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 16 May 2025 Four months later, Fletcher’s career reached its nadir.—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for nadir
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Middle French, from Arabic naḍhīr opposite
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