ennui

American  

[ahn-wee, ahn-wee, ahn-nwee] / ɑnˈwi, ˈɑn wi, ɑ̃ˈnwi /

noun

1. a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom.

   The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui.

   Synonyms:

   languor , lassitude , tedium , listlessness

---

ennui British  

/ ˈɒnwiː, ɑ̃nɥi /

noun

1. a feeling of listlessness and general dissatisfaction resulting from lack of activity or excitement

---

Usage

What does ennui mean? Put simply, ennui is a French word that describes feelings associated with boredom.

Etymology

Origin of ennui

First recorded in 1660–70; from French: “boredom”; Old French a(n)nui, enui “displeasure”; annoy

Example Sentences

Mr. Simon’s record was also one of the first to grasp the mid-’70s ennui of a generation fenced in by marital responsibilities and yearning for its earlier, wilder self.

From The Wall Street Journal

We kept joking that we rescued the press from the Free Table — but at this point, it feels more accurate to say it rescued us from dinner ennui.

From Salon

To set the tenor, she destroys an entire medical laboratory in Kuala Lumpur while bemoaning her ennui.

From Los Angeles Times

This is where body horror comes in to turn our fear of mortality, or perhaps just ennui, into something, well, horrific.

From Los Angeles Times

He has not been in front of us and that absence has led to the sense of ennui among the opposition.

From Salon

Related Words

• apathy
• languor
• melancholy
• sadness
• tedium
• weariness