WORD OF THE DAY: NEMESIS
noun | NEM-uh-siss
A nemesis is a formidable foe—an opponent or enemy who is very difficult to defeat. As a proper noun, Nemesis refers to the Greek goddess of vengeance.
// She will be playing against her old nemesis for the championship.
EXAMPLE OF NEMESIS
“There were never any doubts about the man playing He-Man’s nemesis, Skeletor. … Frank Langella had caught Goddard’s eye in ‘Amadeus’ on Broadway, and—buried under some impressive make-up—relished the opportunity to ham it up as Eternia’s villain-in-chief.” — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2026
DID YOU KNOW?
Nemesis was the Greek goddess of vengeance, a deity who doled out rewards for noble acts and punishment for evil ones. The Greeks believed that Nemesis didn’t always punish an offender immediately but might wait generations to avenge a crime. In English, nemesis originally referred to someone who brought a just retribution, but nowadays people are more likely to see simple animosity rather than justice in the actions of a nemesis.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
