nadir

American  

[ney-der, ney-deer] / ˈneɪ dər, ˈneɪ dɪər /

noun

nadirs plural

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

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

3. the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair.

   Synonyms:

   foot, floor, bottom

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nadir British  

/ ˈneɪdɪə, ˈnæ- /

noun

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

2. the lowest or deepest point; depths

   the nadir of despair

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nadir Scientific  

/ nā′dər /

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

2. Compare zenith

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nadiral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nadirs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nadir

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English nadir, nader, nadair, from Middle French nadir “point opposite the zenith,” from Medieval Latin nadir “point opposite the sun,” from Arabic naẓīr (as-samt) “opposite (the zenith)”; see also zenith ( def. )

Explanation

If a highly forgetful person loses his phone, his wallet, and then his car keys in separate instances all in one day, you could say that he has reached an organizational nadir. This means “lowest point.” This was originally strictly an astronomical term and is the opposite of the word zenith, which is the part of the sky located directly above a person’s head or, “high point.” In fact, nadir is derived from the Arabic nazir, which means “opposite to.” It is still used in astronomy to indicate the part of the celestial sphere located directly below an observer, but also more generally to describe the worst point of someone’s life or career.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nadir nadirs

England's exit at the last T20 World Cup at the hands of West Indies in the group stage was their fielding nadir.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

The nadir of this cycle arrived at the 2024 Copa America, hosted by the U.S., where the team crashed out following losses to Panama and Uruguay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

But share prices never fully recovered, and then hit a nadir during Covid when the economy tanked.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Still, it’s true that when the series was at its nadir, so few vibrant horror films were being made that it was stuck lampooning the now-forgotten Jessica Chastain chiller “Mama.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

Agent Jones had lived through a lot in his years with the agency, but tonight marked the absolute nadir.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

The year 1893 was one of two significant economic nadirs during the decade, the second coming in 1897.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2024

If at one point he said, “Kind of like I said last week,” that’s how it goes in nadirs.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 19, 2021

He alludes to companies that have rebounded from nadirs of public controversy stemming from unethical decisions, such at Tyco, which saw two of its executives plead guilty to stealing hundreds of millions of dollars.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 19, 2020

They played fast and loose with our capacity to watch rubbish by finding fresh nadirs to which to stoop.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2011

Many of them, put together just after epidemics, would have represented population nadirs, not approximations of precontact numbers.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• rock bottom