Question

Choose the word that is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word given in capitals.

ZENITH

• A. Acme
• B. Top
• C. Nadir
• D. Pinnacle

Hint:

Zenith is the highest point overhead. Its exact opposite in astronomy is the lowest point, directly underfoot.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

ZENITH and its opposite come straight from astronomy. The zenith is the point directly overhead in the sky, the highest point an observer can look toward. Astronomers already have one exact word for the point directly underfoot, on the opposite side of the sky, and that word should be the answer here.

1. Acme: This word is borrowed from everyday language to mean the peak of achievement, matching the same highest point idea as zenith rather than its opposite.
2. Top: This is simply a plain, everyday word for highest part, again matching zenith instead of reversing it.
3. Nadir: In astronomy, this is the exact technical opposite of zenith, the point directly below the observer, as low as the zenith is high. Since the two words were built together as a pair, nadir is the precise opposite of zenith.
4. Pinnacle: This word describes the topmost peak of a structure or achievement, once more sitting on the same highest point side as zenith.

Because zenith and nadir were defined together in astronomy as two ends of the same vertical line, nadir is the natural and exact opposite of zenith.

Let's summarize:

• Zenith is the highest point directly overhead.
• Acme, Top, and Pinnacle all describe that same highest point in different words.
• Nadir is the point directly underfoot, the exact opposite, making it correct.

So the correct opposite of zenith is option (3), Nadir.