nadir

[ ney-der, ney-deer ]

/ ˈneɪ dər, ˈneɪ dɪər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nadir ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Astronomy. the point on the celestial sphere directly beneath a given position or observer and diametrically opposite the zenith.

Astrology. the point of a horoscope opposite the midheaven: the cusp of the fourth house.

the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair.

RELATED WORDS

base, floor, bottom

Nearby words

Origin of nadir

1350–1400; Middle English ≪ Arabic naẓīr over against, opposite to (the zenith)

SYNONYMS FOR nadir

3. bottom, floor, foot, depths.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nadir ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsna·dir·al, adjective

Can be confusednadir zenith

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nadir

The stock market has gone nuts, more than doubling since its March 2009 nadir.
Why Didn't Obama Tout How Great the Economy Is Doing?|Daniel Gross|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Worse even than what I consider his nadir thus far, the 2011 debt-ceiling fiasco.
Will Obama Learn the Right Lesson From the Summers Debacle?|Michael Tomasky|September 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At its nadir, on September 4, 2012, Facebook closed below $18.
Facebook Stock Pushes Above $40|Sarah Langs|August 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The debt debacle of 2011 was far and away the nadir of his first term.
Michael Tomasky on Obama’s Republican Revenge Over the Debt Limit|Michael Tomasky|December 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST

However, the nadir of his married life was when Rather just barely remembered to call his wife on her birthday.
10 Revelations from ‘Rather Outspoken’ Autobiography|Ben Jacobs|April 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The nadir is the lowest point in the heavens and the zenith is the highest.
Keats: Poems Published in 1820|John Keats
He was terrified into submission at the approach of Nadir, and sent his vizier to deprecate the wrath of that monarch.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, v. 13|Various
The young blood of Nadir rushed towards the spot where difficulty and labour awaited him.
Popular Tales|Madame Guizot
Mayor Petion, named on hats, is at his zenith in this Federation; Lafayette again is close upon his nadir.
The French Revolution|Thomas Carlyle
He rendered valuable services to the sultan in his war with Russia, and with the famous Nadir Shah.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for nadir

nadir

/ (ˈneɪdɪə, ˈnæ-) /

noun

the point on the celestial sphere directly below an observer and diametrically opposite the zenith

the lowest or deepest point; depthsthe nadir of despair

Word Origin for nadir

C14: from Old French, from Arabic nazīr as-samt, literally: opposite the zenith

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nadir

nadir

late 14c., in astronomical sense, from Medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic nazir "opposite to," in nazir as-samt, literally "opposite of the zenith," from nazir "opposite" + as-samt "zenith" (see zenith). Transferred sense of "lowest point (of anything)" is first recorded 1793.

Science definitions for nadir

nadir

[ nā′dər ]

The point on the celestial sphere that is directly below the observer (90 degrees below the celestial horizon). Compare zenith.