Top Definitions
Synonyms
Quiz
Related Content
Examples
British
Cultural

nemesis

[ nem-uh-sis ]

/ ˈnɛm ə sɪs /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for nemesis on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural nem·e·ses

[nem-uh-seez]. /ˈnɛm əˌsiz/.

something that a person cannot conquer, achieve, etc.: The performance test proved to be my nemesis.

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

(initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. the goddess of divine retribution.

an agent or act of retribution or punishment.

OTHER WORDS FOR nemesis

4 downfall, undoing, ruin, Waterloo.

See synonyms for nemesis on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR NEMESIS

Explain The Difference Between Enemy vs. Nemesis

The difference between these two words may be subtle ... however, they're both extremely hard to defeat.

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of nemesis

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

Words nearby nemesis

Nemean Games, Nemean lion, Nemerov, nemertean, nemesia, nemesis, nemine contradicente, nemine dissentiente, nemo, nemo me impune lacessit, nemophila

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nemesis in a sentence

After years of doing well, my nemesis had returned, hovering near me, looking for a way in.
Coronavirus is testing those of us with anxiety. We need to have mental health help available when the pandemic ends.|Sarah Vander Schaaff|January 30, 2021|Washington Post
In those contests, we saw Tennessee both jump out to a significant lead and overcome a significant deficit, so the Ravens have yet to quite crack the formula for defeating their nemesis.
Our Guide To The NFL’s Wide-Open Wild-Card Weekend|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|January 6, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Because Washington lives by the pressure created by its four defensive linemen, quick-release quarterbacks are, in theory, its nemesis.
Pittsburgh’s misshapen schedule has offered Washington a lucky break — and a chance|Thomas M. Boswell|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
With the occasional assistance of Elizabeth Waring, a Justice Department official who has served both as his nemesis and reluctant helper throughout the series, he must identify, locate and “neutralize” the anonymous forces ranged against him.
‘Eddie’s Boy,’ by Thomas Perry, continues the saga of a retired hit man who can’t escape his past|Bill Sheehan|November 29, 2020|Washington Post

Launched by a former Google engineer in 2011 to share GIFs, Kuaishou has evolved into a nemesis of Douyin, TikTok’s sister in China.
China’s cash-burning video sector: How Kuaishou lost $1B in 6 months|Rita Liao|November 6, 2020|TechCrunch
He finally died in a drawn-out battle with his Irish mobster nemesis, John Morrissey.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard|Nina Strochlic|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Third Reich met its nemesis as much here as it had—albeit in far greater numbers—at Stalingrad.
The Deadly Trap Behind D-Day’s Beaches|Clive Irving|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Neither her name nor her nemesis are among the slurred words I can make out.
My Night at the NSFW Oscars|Richard Abowitz|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The nemesis that emerges most potently is that of reality TV.
Polar Explorer vs. Reality TV Crew: Tim Jarvis in the Footsteps of Shackleton|Darrell Hartman|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The site is provocative enough in the vegan world to earn its own digital arch-nemesis “30 Bananas A Day…Sucks!”
Why the ‘30 Bananas a Day Diet’ Is Monkey Business|Abby Haglage|January 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We have swift reward and punishment—no hateful things called Nemesis.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Then, as though grown weary of the idyllic romance she was composing, Fortune donned the tragic robes of Nemesis.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet
What was the tragic destiny that hung over them—the Nemesis that gripped them, and forced them to take such a chance?
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
When off the island of Moora the Nemesis came suddenly upon a fleet of eleven pirate boats, pursuing a trading prahu.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
The Nemesis chased the pirates to the shore, who drew up in line along the beach.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan

British Dictionary definitions for nemesis

Nemesis

/ (ˈnɛmɪsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

Greek myth the goddess of retribution and vengeance

(sometimes not capital) any agency of retribution and vengeance

Word Origin for Nemesis

C16: via Latin from Greek: righteous wrath, from némein to distribute what is due

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

Cultural definitions for nemesis

Nemesis

[ (nem-uh-sis) ]

In classical mythology, the Greek goddess of vengeance.

notes for Nemesis

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.