What does nemesis mean?
Word: Nemesis
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Nemesis means a rival or opponent who is very hard to beat, or a person or thing that keeps causing you trouble.
Synonyms: opponent
Word origin: From Greek, the name of a goddess, from nemein, to give what is due.
How do you spell nemesis?
Syllables: nem - e - sis
Tricky part: The middle vowel is e, though it is said so weakly that students write nemisis or nemasis.
Watch out for: nemisis, nemasis, nemessis
Memory tip: Nemesis has three vowels, one in each syllable: e, e, then i. The two e's come first and the i waits for the last syllable.
Nemesis in a sentence
Example 1: The tall bowler from Kerala was our team's nemesis all season.
Example 2: For our school chess champion, an eleven-year-old from Pune turned out to be his nemesis.
Example 3: Mosquitoes are the nemesis of every camper on the banks of the Brahmaputra.
Fun Fact
In 1984 some scientists suggested that the Sun might have a faint companion star, which they nicknamed Nemesis; no such star has ever been found.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
In Greek stories, Nemesis was a goddess. What was she believed to do?
a) punish people who were too proud
b) protect sailors at sea
c) guard the doors of homes
d) bring the spring rains
Show answer
a) punish people who were too proud. Nemesis gave people what they deserved, especially those who were too proud, which is why her name came to mean a rival you cannot beat.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its synonym:
1. nemesis 2. ally 3. hazard a. danger b. partner c. arch-rival
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. A nemesis is an arch-rival, an ally is a partner, and a hazard is a danger.
Spell Probe
One word in the sentence is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
In the district final, Anjali faced her old nemesis once again and won in straight games, much to the delite of the crowd.
a) a feeling of great pleasure
b) a rival who is very hard to beat
c) won without losing a single game
d) a large group of people in one place
Show answer
a) a feeling of great pleasure. Delight is spelt with igh, as in light and night; delite is the error.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) genesis
b) synthesis
c) emphassis
d) nemesis
Show answer
c) emphassis. Emphasis has just one s in the middle; nemesis, genesis and synthesis are all correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Rohan calls long division his nemesis. What does he mean?
a) it has been dropped from the syllabus
b) it is too easy for him to bother with
c) it is the topic he enjoys the most
d) it keeps defeating him however hard he tries
Show answer
d) it keeps defeating him however hard he tries
2. Which word is closest in meaning to nemesis in 'the champion finally met her nemesis'?
a) conqueror
b) sponsor
c) fan
d) coach
Show answer
a) conqueror
