Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - zenith

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 16, 2026 is: zenith \ZEE-nith\ noun
Zenith refers to the strongest or most successful period of time for a person or thing.

// At its zenith in the 1980s, the company employed more than 300 people.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zenith)


Examples:

“The opening 40 minutes of Trần Anh Hùng’s dreamy romance set in the 1889 French countryside are the zenith of food preparation on the big screen. ... Food is a love language for many, and watching Pauline prepare a Baked Alaska in the hot French summer without a freezer expresses her affection better than any sonnet could.” — Kevin Slane, Boston.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Did you know?

When you reach the zenith, you’re at the top, the pinnacle, the summit, the peak. Zenith developed from a Spanish modification of an Arabic phrase meaning “the way over one’s head,” traveling through Medieval Latin and Middle French before arriving in English. As long ago as the 1300s, English speakers used zenith to name the highest point in the celestial heavens, directly overhead. By the 1600s, zenith was being used for other high points as well. The celestial term is often contrasted with nadir, which refers to the point that is vertically downward from the observer (imagine a line going through the Earth from the observer’s feet and out the other side into the sky). Figuratively, [nadir](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nadir) simply means “the lowest point.”