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

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ennui British  

/ ˈɒnwiː, ɑ̃nɥi /

noun

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

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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

Best known for “The Book of Disquiet,” a fragmented masterpiece of urban ennui, the bulk of Pessoa’s literary output wasn’t discovered until after his death in 1935 at age 47.

From Los Angeles Times

The dandy may have many names, but we know him when we see him—he projects the aristocrat’s “superior air and nonchalant ennui,” Mr. Andersson writes, only a little too much.

From The Wall Street Journal

That suggests that the downfall of AI slop may not be consumer aversion, but ennui.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Related Words

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