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

Its financial picture has improved somewhat since that nadir, but Catalina Island Health remains one of several hospitals across Los Angeles County that are struggling to stay open in the face of strong financial headwinds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

In the year and a half since, women’s approval fell 29 points to its nadir at the beginning of July.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

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

Consider, too, the Dobynsesque procedure for recovering original population numbers: applying an assumed death rate, usually 95 percent, to the observed population nadir.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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

It required endless hours of searching for the nadirs of human experience.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 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

In fairness, the evening of Nov. 8 and the cratered-out dawn of Nov. 9 were more like a chain of nadirs strung together.

From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2017

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