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Nemesis vs Foe - What's the difference?

nemesis | foe |

Foe is a antonym of nemesis.



As nouns the difference between nemesis and foe

is that nemesis is an archenemy while foe is an enemy.

As a proper noun Nemesis

is the goddess of divine retribution and vengeance.

As an adjective foe is

hostile.

As an initialism FoE is

friends of the Earth.

nemesis

English

(wikipedia nemesis)

Noun

(nemeses)
  • (chiefly, North America) An archenemy
  • * "Batman is in constant conflict with his nemesis , The Joker."
  • (chiefly, non-North American usage) A person or character who specifically brings about the downfall of another person or character
  • The principle of retributive justice.
  • (usually, in the singular, formal) A punishment or defeat that is deserved and cannot be avoided.
  • The polar opposite of a character.
  • A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent.

    • Derived terms

    * archnemesis * nemetic

    Related terms

    * antagonist * villain * rival * bane * archenemy * adversary

    Anagrams

    * * * ----

    foe

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) fo 'foe; hostile', from earlier ifo 'foe', from (etyl) 'to hate, be hostile' (compare Middle Irish oech 'enemy, fiend', Latin piget 'he is annoying', Lithuanian piktas ‘evil’, Albanian pis ‘dirty, scoundrel’).

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) Hostile.
  • *, vol.1, ch.23:
    • he, I say, could passe into Affrike onely with two simple ships or small barkes, to commit himselfe in a strange and foe countrie, to engage his person, under the power of a barbarous King.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An enemy.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=55, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Travels and travails , passage=Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foe s’ glee.}}
    Synonyms
    * (enemy) adversary, enemy, opponent
    Antonyms
    * (enemy) ally, friend

    Etymology 2

    An acronym of "fifty-one ergs", coined by Gerald Brown of Stony Brook University in his work with Hans Bethe.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A unit of energy equal to 1044 joules.

    • Anagrams

    *