nemesis

[ nem-uh-sis ]

noun

, plural nem·e·ses [nem, -, uh, -seez].

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) Classical Mythology. the goddess of divine retribution.
4. an agent or act of retribution or punishment.

   Synonyms: Waterloo, ruin, undoing, downfall

Nemesis

/ ˈnɛmɪsɪs /

noun

1. Greek myth the goddess of retribution and vengeance
2. sometimes not capital any agency of retribution and vengeance

Nemesis

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

Notes

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nemesis¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nemesis¹

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

Example Sentences

A new attraction is being planned for Alton Towers' Forbidden Valley area which is also home to the newly rebuilt Nemesis ride.

From BBC

Testing has begun on the new Nemesis ride at Alton Towers which has undergone a major revamp.

From BBC

The god Nemesis then curses Narcissus, causing him to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.

From Scientific American

In “Nemesis,” Worf somehow just becomes a member of the Enterprise crew again with little explanation as to why.

From New York Times

On Friday — the ongoing strikes over France’s pension changes delayed the opening by a day — she unveiled an absorbing, ingenious adaptation of Roth’s final book, “Nemesis,” on the second stage of Paris’s Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe.

From New York Times

Related Words

• adversary