Every story has a high point and an ending. These words name the top (zenith, apex, pinnacle), the bottom (nadir) and the moment a long effort reaches its peak (culminate). The rest describe the ways things end: they stop, they die out, or they simply fall out of use.
Key idea
The top: zenith, apex, pinnacle. The bottom: nadir. Building to the peak: culminate. Ending: terminate, cessation, demise. Out of use: obsolete (out of date) and defunct (no longer existing or working).
The ten words
Common mistake
zenith and nadir are opposites: the highest and the lowest point. culminate means to reach a climax, not simply to end.
| word | what it names | you might hear |
|---|---|---|
| zenith | the highest point | at the zenith of her fame |
| apex | the tip or top | an apex predator |
| pinnacle | the peak of success | the pinnacle of his career |
| nadir | the lowest point | the nadir of the season |
| culminate | to reach the peak or final stage | culminated in a victory |
| terminate | to end | the line terminates here |
| cessation | a stop | a cessation of fighting |
| demise | an end, a death | the demise of the phone booth |
| obsolete | out of date | an obsolete machine |
| defunct | no longer existing or working | a defunct railway |
Zenith and nadir are opposites: the highest point and the lowest. Culminate does not simply mean to end; it means to reach the high point that a long effort has been building toward (the season culminated in a championship). And obsolete things still exist but are out of date, while defunct things no longer exist or work at all.