What does nadir mean?
Word: Nadir
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Nadir means the lowest or worst point of a situation.
Synonyms: low point
How do you spell nadir?
Syllables: na - dir
Tricky part: The ending is the hard part. Many students try nadeer or nader, but the last syllable is spelt ir.
Watch out for: nadeer, nadyr
Memory tip: Tell yourself: at the nadir I feel low. That I comes just before the final r.
Nadir in a sentence
Example 1: The nadir of our holiday came when the rain washed out the whole picnic.
Example 2: After that long losing streak, the team's morale was at its nadir.
Example 3: Sales of the old magazine hit their nadir in April, then slowly recovered.
Fun Fact
In astronomy the nadir is the point in the sky directly below an observer, hidden on the far side of the Earth. The word reached English through French from Arabic, where it meant 'opposite'.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
naddir
a) i
b) n
c) d
d) r
Show answer
c) d. This short word has room for just one of the letter that appears twice.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The club's fortunes reached their nadir last season, but a new coach and some hard training brought a remarkible recovery.
a) nadir
b) remarkible
c) recovery
d) fortunes
Show answer
b) remarkible. Remark plus able gives the word, so the ending has an a.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word nadir as used in the sentence:
August was the nadir of our cricket season, for we did not win a single match.
a) depth
b) trough
c) zenith
d) bottom
Show answer
c) zenith. The word for the very highest point is the opposite; the other three all mean something low.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the word that is spelt wrongly.
1. naidir 2. impetuous 3. juxtapose 4. fortitude
a) courage shown over a long, hard time
b) to place side by side for comparison
c) acting quickly without thinking
d) the very bottom of someone's fortunes
Show answer
d) the very bottom of someone's fortunes. The short noun has gained an i, and a sad low point is what it means.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A shopkeeper could fairly call ____ the nadir of his year.
a) the month he opened a second shop
b) the week he sold almost nothing
c) the busy days of the summer sale
d) the morning a film star came in
Show answer
b) the week he sold almost nothing
2. Mira says her confidence in maths is 'at its nadir'. How is she likely to feel?
a) sure she will never do well at it
b) calm about the test next week
c) ready to help others with their sums
d) pleased with her latest improvement
Show answer
a) sure she will never do well at it
