Ennui (noun)
on-wi
A feeling of listlessness or dissatisfaction arising from a lack of excitement or occupation of the mind.
I love this word, from French, from the Latin odio from ‘mihi in odio est’ or ‘it is hateful to me’. This is a great one to use if you hate the word ‘bored’ and people who use it! First learned from reading, it took me a while to be able to pronounce ennui, and it’s today’s word of the day.
Example sentence
“With the nearest city more than 20 miles away, 15-year-old Jane soon succumbed to ennui and despair on her weekend in the countryside”
April 26, 2024
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