zenith
/ˈzenɪθ/ (bre, ipa) · [zˈinəθ] /ˈziːnɪθ/ (ame, ipa) · [zˈinəθ] /ˈzē-nəth How to pronounce zenith (audio) Canadian also and British usually ˈze-nəth, -nith/ (ame, mw)
zenith — noun
- zenithsingular
- zenithsplural
1. the time or point when someone or something is at its greatest strength, success
the time or point when someone or something is at its greatest strength, success, or importance.
The singer was at her zenith after the album sold two million copies.
phrase: at its zenith for greatest success
Rail travel in the city reached its zenith in the early 1950s.
reach its zenith for a strongest period
Many critics say the director hit his zenith with that war film.
By spring, the team's confidence was at its zenith.
- peak
more common and can describe success, strength, or a high level on a chart
- apex
more formal and often used in careful or technical writing
- high point
broader and often used for a memorable or especially good moment
文法句型
be at its zenith
reach your zenith
the zenith of + noun
用法筆記
Common in the patterns 'at its zenith' and 'reach or hit its zenith'. Distinguish from noun 2 and noun 3, which refer to positions in the sky rather than a period of greatest success or strength.
常見錯誤
2. the highest place that the sun, moon, or another body reaches in the sky as it m
the highest place that the sun, moon, or another body reaches in the sky as it moves.
At noon, the sun was close to the zenith above the desert road.
astronomy: a body at its highest place
From the ship, Kofi watched the moon climb towards the zenith.
The telescope tracks planets best when they pass near the zenith.
Pilots noted when the bright star reached the zenith over the runway.
- culmination
more formal and often used in technical descriptions of a body's highest point
- highest point
plain description rather than a fixed astronomy term
- nadir
the point opposite the zenith, directly below the observer
文法句型
reach the zenith
pass near the zenith
be close to the zenith
用法筆記
Used mainly in astronomy or sky watching for a moving body's highest place in the sky. Distinguish from noun 3, which names the fixed point directly above an observer.
常見錯誤
3. the imaginary point in the sky that is exactly above the place where you are sta
the imaginary point in the sky that is exactly above the place where you are standing.
The balloon drifted until it was almost at the zenith above us.
at the zenith for directly overhead point
Sophia raised her arm towards the zenith at the planetarium dome's centre.
The guide said the meteor had flashed near the zenith, not the horizon.
On the star map, the zenith was marked above our campsite circle.
- overhead point
a plain descriptive phrase rather than the standard technical term
- nadir
the point on the opposite side, directly below the observer
文法句型
at the zenith
directly below the zenith
mark the zenith on a sky map
用法筆記
This is a fixed point above the observer, especially on star maps and in astronomy. Distinguish from noun 2, which describes a body's highest position as it moves across the sky.