noun
zenith
ZEHN-ihth
noun
1
The point in the sky directly overhead an observer.
"The sun reached its zenith right above the equator at noon."
2
The peak or highest point of something, especially a career, power, or achievement.
"The band's zenith came in the late 1990s, when they sold out stadiums worldwide."
"His influence in the company was at its zenith just before the merger."
How to Use Zenith
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe highest point something reaches — literally overhead in the sky, or figuratively at the top of success.
Common mistake
Zenith is the high point; its opposite, nadir, is the low point — the two get mixed up surprisingly often.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
reach its zenith
at the zenith of his career
the zenith of civilization
Word Forms
zeniths plural
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The sun reached its _____ right above the equator at noon.
Etymology
From an Arabic phrase meaning "direction of the head," which passed through medieval Latin into English, picking up an extra "n" along the way through a copying error.