Nadir
/ˈneɪdɪər/
nounC2
Definition
Nadir is the very lowest point of something, like a person's mood, a company's success, or a historical period. It shows the worst or most difficult moment before things might get better.
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See It in Action
The lowest point in a situation or condition
- •After losing his job and his home, he felt he had reached his nadir.
- •The company's profits hit their nadir last year before starting to grow again.
- •The war marked the nadir of the country's history.
In astronomy, the point directly below an observer, opposite the zenith
- •The star passed below the nadir and disappeared from view.
- •At midnight, the moon was at its nadir.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "nadir" like "low" (A1 word), but it means the absolute lowest point, not just a little low.
- ✓Picture a mountain: the top is the highest point, and the nadir is the very bottom in the valley below.
- ✓It's the feeling when you are very sad or when things seem the worst, like after a big problem.
- ✓Sounds like "NAY-deer" → imagine saying "nay" (no) because you have reached the lowest point where you can't go lower.
- ✓Think of a story where a hero faces the worst moment in their journey before rising again.
- ✓NOT like "dip" (small decrease), nadir is the deepest, most serious low.
- ✓NOT like "bottom" in a physical sense only; nadir often means the lowest point in feelings, success, or situations.
- ✓NOT like "peak" (highest point), nadir is the exact opposite, the lowest moment.
Try Other Words
- •Lowest point: the very bottom or worst moment (Use when you want to explain clearly without a formal word)
- •Rock bottom: the worst or lowest possible state (Use when emphasizing emotional or personal low moments)
- •Depths: very low point, especially emotionally (Use for feelings or moods)
- •Trough: low point in a cycle or graph (Use in technical or economic contexts)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (No prefix or suffix, a single root word)
- •Etymology: From Arabic "naẓīr" meaning "opposite," passed into Latin and Old French, then English
- •Historical development: First used in English in the 1600s, originally in astronomy to mean the point directly under the observer
- •Modern usage: Used both in astronomy and metaphorically for the lowest point in any situation or feeling
- •Key insight: The word shifted from a technical meaning in space to a common metaphor for the worst or lowest moment
Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time in your life when you reached a nadir? How did you move forward from that moment?
•How is understanding the concept of nadir helpful when talking about history or personal challenges?
Fill in the blanks
1.After the team lost five games in a row, they were at their nadir and needed to ___ to improve.
2.The nadir of her mood came ___ the bad news about her health.
3.Unlike a small problem, reaching the nadir means things are at their ___ lowest point.
4.In stories, the hero often faces their nadir before they ___ and succeed.
5.The company's sales hit a nadir ___ the economic crisis.
6.When the stock market hits its nadir, investors often feel ___ about the future.
7.The star was visible until it passed below the nadir and ___ from sight.