Definition of APOGEE (original) (raw)
1
: the point in the orbit of an object (such as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is at the greatest distance from the center of the earth
also : the point farthest from a planet or a satellite (such as the moon) reached by an object orbiting it compare perigee
2
: the farthest or highest point : culmination
Aegean civilization reached its apogee in Crete.
Illustration of apogee
- apogee 1
Did you know?
Apogee is often used in its figurative sense, signifying the high point of a career, endeavor, or state (“she was at the apogee of her profession”). This meaning developed as a metaphorical extension of the word’s astronomical sense, denoting the farthest distance from earth of an object orbiting the planet.
A number of other English words that are synonymous with apogee have followed a similar path of figurative development from a technical meaning. Climax (“the most interesting and exciting part of something”) came into English as a term for a series of phrases arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness. And, very much like apogee, culmination (“the final result of something”) is also rooted in astronomy: it originally referred to the highest point a celestial body reaches in its daily revolution (for example, the sun’s height at noon).
Synonyms
Examples of apogee in a Sentence
shag carpeting reached the apogee of its popularity in the 1970s but is now considered outdated
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In astrology, the Black Moon Lilith is a point in the sky that sits near the lunar apogee (a.k.a. —
Roya Backlund, StyleCaster, 24 Jan. 2025 The apogee also marked the farthest any human has journeyed since NASA’s Apollo Program ended in 1972. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024 And the Ukrainian nationalist movement of the 1930s and 1940s, including its heroic partisan guerrilla campaigns against the Soviets, was the apogee of the national liberation struggle against Moscow’s totalitarianism. —Georgiy Kasianov, Foreign Affairs, 4 May 2022 As evidence mounts, The Perfect Neighbor steadily and deftly builds momentum until its crushing apogee. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See all Example Sentences for apogee 
Word History
Etymology
French apogée, from New Latin apogaeum, from Greek apogaion, from neuter of apogeios, apogaios far from the earth, from apo- + gē, gaia earth
First Known Use
1640, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of apogee was in 1640
Dictionary Entries Near apogee
Cite this Entry
“Apogee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apogee. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on apogee
Last Updated: 6 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!