Meaning & use

nemesis

noun·Advanced

A long-standing rival or opponent who is very difficult to defeat, or a source of persistent harm.

See it in a sentence

The detective finally caught up with his nemesis after years of pursuit.

For the chess champion, losing to beginners became her strange nemesis.

A note on using this word

The plural of "nemesis" is "nemeses," not "nemesises"; it follows the Greek pattern also seen in "crisis/crises."

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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