nemesis

American  

[nem-uh-sis] / ˈnɛm ə sɪs /

noun

plural

nemeses

1. something that a person cannot conquer, achieve, etc..

   The performance test proved to be my nemesis.

   Synonyms:

   Waterloo

2. an opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.

3. (initial capital letter) the goddess of divine retribution.

4. an agent or act of retribution or punishment.

   Synonyms:

   Waterloo, ruin, undoing, downfall

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Nemesis British  

/ ˈnɛmɪsɪs /

noun

1. Greek myth the goddess of retribution and vengeance

2. (sometimes not capital) any agency of retribution and vengeance

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Nemesis Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, the Greek goddess of vengeance.

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Discover More

By extension, a “nemesis” is an avenger. One's nemesis is that which will bring on one's destruction or downfall.

Etymology

Origin of nemesis

< Latin < Greek némesis literally, a dealing out, verbid of némein to dispense (justice); -sis

Example Sentences

It's almost like a movie script - Scotland trying to defeat their great nemesis.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Like his nemesis, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Tojo had a flawed ear for domestic politics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

The professional rivalries are real, as J.D. finds when his hiring as Sacred Heart’s new chief of medicine gains him a nemesis in Joel Kim Booster’s wonderfully shady Dr. Eric Park.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026

And David plays Lincoln’s nemesis, Stevie Nichols, the very successful former partner of Lincoln’s late mother, upon whom the son remains perversely fixated.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

Theodore Tilton was fired from the Independent, so he moved to Europe, where he was offered a job at the Golden Age, a new magazine funded by his nemesis Henry Ward Beecher.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• adversary