Nemesis is a person, force, or thing that inflicts deserved retribution or punishment, often opposing a protagonist as a formidable rival. In myth, Nemesis personifies divine justice, but in modern usage it can denote a persistent, challenging adversary or obstacle that consistently blocks success. The term also denotes an avenger or bringer of retributive consequences in literature and everyday speech.
"Her nemesis in the company’s competitive landscape was a relentless rival who matched every move she made."
"For years, the stubborn problem of income inequality has stood as society’s nemesis, demanding urgent reform."
"In the story, the hero finally confronts his old nemesis, the clever antagonist who returns with a new ploy."
"The new software update aimed to turn the security loophole into a non-issue, turning what had been their nemesis into a solved challenge."
Nemesis derives from the Greek goddess Nemesis (Νέμεσις), goddess of retribution and divine justice. The name Nemesis emerged from the Greek root ne- meaning ‘to allot, to distribute,’ connected with concepts of fate and payback. In Classical Greek, Nemesis represented a personification of righteous indignation or punishment for excessive pride (hubris) or crime, ensuring balance through proportionate consequences. The word entered English via Latinized forms in the late 16th to 17th centuries, retaining the sense of a powerful and inexorable foe who restores moral order. Over time, Nemesis broadened beyond myth to describe any persistent rival or arch-enemy capable of thwarting one’s goals, or a persistent obstacle that seems to be a justice-delivering opponent in stories, sports, or life. By the 19th and 20th centuries, Nemesis was used metaphorically to denote persistent, often elusive, opponents who cannot be easily defeated, reinforcing the idea of a fate-like, inescapable opposition rather than a mere adversary. Today, the term commonly appears in fiction, journalism, and everyday language to describe formidable, reoccurring opposition that tests one’s endurance and resolve.
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Words that rhyme with "Nemesis"
-me) sounds
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Nemesis is pronounced neh-MEE-sis (US/UK/AU typically share this). The primary stress is on the second syllable: /nəˈmiːsɪs/ in careful IPA. You start with an unstressed schwa-sound, then a clear /ˈmiː/ vowel, and end with a soft /sɪs/. For audio reference, you can imagine the rhythm of ne-MEE-sis with a short final sibilant. Practice: say ne-MEE-sis, then repeat in a sentence: “The hero’s nemesis proved relentless.”
Common mistakes: misplacing stress, pronouncing the middle vowel as a short /ɪ/ instead of /iː/, and over-enunciating the final -sis as /sɪz/. Correction: keep the primary stress on the second syllable /ˈmiː/ with a long /iː/ vowel, then softly release the final /sɪs/. Ensure the first syllable is a neutral schwa /nə/ or /nə-/, not /ne-/. Slow, deliberate practice with a mirror helps.
Across accents, Nemesis keeps /nəˈmiː.sɪs/ in most US and UK speech, with the middle vowel staying long /iː/. In some UK varieties, you might hear a slightly shorter /iː/ and crisper final /sɪs/. Australian speakers often maintain the same rhythm but may reduce the initial schwa slightly, sounding like /nəˈmiːsɪs/ with a more clipped final syllable. Overall, rhoticity doesn’t dramatically alter Nemesis; the stress pattern and /ˈmiː/ remain stable.
Nemesis is tricky because of the midword vowel length and the two consecutive syllables with /iː/ and /ɪ/ that can blur in fast speech. The combination /ˈmiː/ plus /sɪ/ requires precise tongue elevation and a short, crisp /s/ after a long vowel. Additionally, the final /sɪs/ can be softened to /səs/ in connected speech, which reduces clarity. Practice maintaining steady /iː/ and clean /s/ at the end.
Nemesis often triggers subtle stress shifts in poetic or rhetorical usage, occasionally heard as NEH-meh-sis in very careful enunciation or classical readings. However, in everyday speech, the dominant pattern remains neh-MEE-sis with second-syllable stress. When teaching, you’ll emphasize the stable stress pattern and two clear vowel qualities: a long /iː/ and a crisp final /sɪs/.
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