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- apogee 1
apogee
noun
apo·gee
ˈa-pə-(ˌ)jē 
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.
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Of Apogees, Climaxes, and Culminations
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).
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shag carpeting reached the apogee of its popularity in the 1970s but is now considered outdated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
The princess line reached its apogee around the turn of the century, in the creations of Jean-Philippe for the House of Worth’s most exacting and original client, Élisabeth de Riquet de Caraman-Chimay, a.k.a.
—
Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 25 July 2025
Join 146 others in the comments View Comments The crew’s apogee — or farthest point from Earth — made Gillis and Menon the first women ever to fly so far from our planet.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024
But the actions of King Vajiralongkorn following his rise to the apogee of Thai society don’t suggest a monarch wanting for control.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 26 June 2025
This multilateral effort has taken shape under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which reached its apogee in 2015 with the signing of the Paris climate agreement.
—Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 13 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for apogee
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Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 25 July 2025
Join 146 others in the comments View Comments The crew’s apogee — or farthest point from Earth — made Gillis and Menon the first women ever to fly so far from our planet.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024
But the actions of King Vajiralongkorn following his rise to the apogee of Thai society don’t suggest a monarch wanting for control.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 26 June 2025
This multilateral effort has taken shape under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which reached its apogee in 2015 with the signing of the Paris climate agreement.
—Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 13 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for apogee
Cite this Entry
“Apogee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apogee. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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apogee
noun
apo·gee
ˈap-ə-(ˌ)jē
: the point farthest from the center of a heavenly body (as the earth or the moon) reached by an object (as a satellite) orbiting it compare perigee
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