zenith

American  

[zee-nith, zen-ith] / ˈzi nɪθ, ˈzɛn ɪθ /

noun

• zeniths
  plural

1. 

   the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer.

   Antonyms:

   nadir

2. a highest point or state; culmination.

   Synonyms:

   summit, apex

   Antonyms:

   nadir

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zenith British  

/ ˈziːnɪθ, ˈzɛnɪθ /

noun

1. astronomy the point on the celestial sphere vertically above an observer

2. the highest point; peak; acme

   the zenith of someone's achievements

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zenith Scientific  

/ zē′nĭth /

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

2. Compare nadir

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• zenithal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• zeniths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of zenith

1350–1400; Middle English cenith < Medieval Latin < Old Spanish zenit, scribal error for zemt < Arabic samt road, incorrectly read as senit by medieval scribes (compare Arabic samt ar-rās road above (over) one's head, the opposite of nadir )

Explanation

Zenith means the high point — it comes from astronomy, where it describes the highest point in an arc traveled by a star or a planet or another celestial body. The sun reaches its zenith when it is as high in the sky as it is going to go on that day. Zenith — and its opposite, nadir — have been appropriated by non-astronomers and are used to describe high and low points in non-astronomical contexts. For example, you can say that the high school quarterback hit his zenith in high school, and it was all downhill from there. Do yourself a favor and try to delay your zenith so you'll have something to look forward to in your future!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zenith zeniths

Those comments came in the wake of his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix - the zenith of a first half-season that has definitely proved he has not "lost it".

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

They observe that even at the zenith of the dotcom bubble in 2000, eurozone stocks were only at 30 times by comparison.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

It did so for the same reason Britain championed free trade when it was at its zenith of industrial power in the 19th century: It knew it was going to win.

From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026

That reputation had reached its zenith by late 2024, when the firm was drawing takeover interest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

The Rite of Spring was the zenith of musical modernism in the early twentieth century.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

The sweater’s the color of outfits his forefathers donned, in 1983, doing standup at and near their zeniths.

From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2022

Somebody with a much bigger degree than I’ll ever get might look back and do an analysis of periods of history when horror movies have had their zeniths.

From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2018

Will James has had his zeniths and his nadirs.

From Time Magazine Archive

Producer Carroll's tenth durbar is not a perpetual triumph, but it reaches zeniths of one sort and another.

From Time Magazine Archive

"All this rigmarole about azimuths and amplitudes and zeniths and moons and influence and tides, it's just invented to plague the life out of honest, seafaring folk."

From Dry Fish and Wet Tales from a Norwegian Seaport by Anthon Bernhard Elias Nilsen