noun
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astronomy the point on the celestial sphere vertically above an observer
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the highest point; peak; acme
the zenith of someone's achievements
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The point on the celestial sphere that is directly above the observer (90 degrees above the celestial horizon).
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Compare nadir
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of zenith
1350–1400; Middle English cenith < Medieval Latin < Old Spanish zenit, scribal error for zemt < Arabic samt road, incorrectly read as senit by medieval scribes (compare Arabic samt ar-rās road above (over) one's head, the opposite of nadir )
Explanation
Zenith means the high point — it comes from astronomy, where it describes the highest point in an arc traveled by a star or a planet or another celestial body. The sun reaches its zenith when it is as high in the sky as it is going to go on that day. Zenith — and its opposite, nadir — have been appropriated by non-astronomers and are used to describe high and low points in non-astronomical contexts. For example, you can say that the high school quarterback hit his zenith in high school, and it was all downhill from there. Do yourself a favor and try to delay your zenith so you'll have something to look forward to in your future!
Vocabulary lists containing zenith
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Celestial Words To Mark The Winter Solstice
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The Alchemist
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On 13 February, the defenders of Zenith were finally ordered to withdraw to another position in Avdiivka but by then it was too late.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2024
"They were the bravest ones," says Viktor Bilyak, a soldier from the 110th brigade who was in Zenith.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2024
Like the town of Zenith, the Landmark could become a ghost, its presence lingering on maps and in memories, replaced, most likely, by something depressingly ordinary.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2024
The company — which includes the excellent Francis Jue in the role of Paul Riesling, Babbitt’s best buddy, and the delightfully droll Julie Halson as a number of prominent Zenith women — is first-rate.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2023
It was hooked up to a 1977 Zenith Color TV.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
