nemesis

IPA/ˈneməsɪs/
KK[nˈɛməsɪs]IPA/ˈneməsɪs/

nemesis — noun

  • nemesissingular
  • nemesesplural

1. the rival, condition, or obstacle that keeps bringing someone down whenever they

1.nounC1
Definition

the rival, condition, or obstacle that keeps bringing someone down whenever they try to succeed.

Example

At the city chess finals, Lukas was William's nemesis year after year.

someone's nemesis for repeated defeat

Wet spring weather has been the tomato farmers' nemesis across central Taiwan.

a thing can also be a nemesis

Common collocations
  • someone's nemesis
  • be a nemesis for
  • sporting nemesis
  • political nemesis
Synonyms
  • bane

    often stresses a thing that repeatedly causes trouble rather than a direct opponent

  • undoing

    focuses on what brings someone to failure rather than the rivalry itself

  • bogey

    especially used in sport for an opponent or condition a player struggles against

Antonyms
  • ally

    helps you succeed instead of repeatedly defeating you

Grammar Patterns

someone's nemesis

be + someone's nemesis

the nemesis of + person/group

Usage Note

Often appears with a possessive, especially when a person keeps losing to the same rival or obstacle. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 can be a thing such as weather, terrain, or a style of play, not only a human enemy.

Common Mistakes

Rain was our rival on the hike.
Rain was our nemesis on the hike.
A difficult thing can be a nemesis even when it is not a competitor.

2. a personal enemy or rival who has stayed in opposition to someone for many years

2.nounC1
Definition

a personal enemy or rival who has stayed in opposition to someone for many years.

Example

Since secondary school, Tariq has called Reema his academic nemesis.

call someone your nemesis

In every election debate, the governor faced the same local nemesis, Zuri.

Common collocations
  • lifelong nemesis
  • old nemesis
  • political nemesis
  • personal nemesis
Synonyms
  • archenemy

    stronger and more dramatic, especially in stories

  • foe

    more literary and broader than a long-term rival

  • rival

    can be neutral competition without the personal hostility of nemesis

Antonyms
  • friend

    stands on your side rather than against you

  • ally

    supports your goals instead of opposing them

Grammar Patterns

call + someone + your nemesis

face + a nemesis

a lifelong nemesis

Usage Note

Usually points to a human enemy with a shared history of conflict. Unlike sense 1, it is less natural for a temporary obstacle or an impersonal problem.

Common Mistakes

The striker from today's match is my nemesis.
The striker I've faced for ten seasons is my nemesis.
This sense usually implies a long-running personal enemy, not a one-day opponent.

3. an unavoidable defeat, punishment, or source of ruin that seems earned because o

3.nounC1
Definition

an unavoidable defeat, punishment, or source of ruin that seems earned because of earlier actions.

Example

The prison sentence was the corrupt broker's nemesis after years of fraud.

nemesis as deserved punishment

Unpaid taxes became the singer's nemesis when the court froze her tour income.

Common collocations
  • public nemesis
  • legal nemesis
  • become someone's nemesis
  • earned nemesis
Synonyms
  • retribution

    more formal and focused on punishment for wrongdoing

  • comeuppance

    more informal and strongly suggests someone gets what they deserve

  • downfall

    names the collapse itself without always implying moral justice

Antonyms
  • reprieve

    a pause or escape from punishment

  • escape

    avoids the punishment or defeat instead of suffering it

Grammar Patterns

be + someone's nemesis

become + someone's nemesis

prove to be + someone's nemesis

Usage Note

Common in formal writing about downfall, scandal, or punishment. Unlike sense 1, it can name the deserved consequence itself, not just an opponent or obstacle.

Common Mistakes

Missing one bus was his nemesis.
Years of fraud were his nemesis.
This sense suggests deserved punishment or downfall, not ordinary bad luck.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, nemesis suggests a person or thing that keeps beating you or ruining your plans, often with a feeling that you can never quite get past it. Archenemy is stronger and more dramatic, and it is almost always a human enemy in stories or public conflicts. Rival is much broader and more neutral: two people can be rivals without one becoming the other's downfall. Bane is usually a thing, not a person, and it stresses repeated misery more than active opposition. A difficult maths exam can be your nemesis, a film villain can be an archenemy, a classmate can be a rival, and traffic noise can be your bane.

nemesis ↗archenemyrival ↗bane ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • someone's nemesis
  • meet your nemesis
  • lifelong nemesis
  • political nemesis

Prepositions

  • nemesis of + person/group
  • nemesis for + team/candidate

Etymology

Ancient GreekEnglish

Nemesis comes from the name of Nemesis, the Greek goddess linked with giving people what they deserve. In English, the word first pointed to righteous punishment or revenge, and later widened to mean the force, person, or situation that brings someone down.