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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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Directed by André Gregory, the writer’s latest sees a four-person cast delivering long passages that together tell a familiar story of love, ennui and adultery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

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 • Jan. 30, 2026

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 • Aug. 19, 2025

This is not about identity politics but ennui: Even minuscule choices, like what socks to wear, are part of a larger cultural self-definition and viral conversation.

From Slate • Aug. 3, 2024

He was full of ennui, full of misery, full of death; there was nothing left in the world that could attract him, that could give him pleasure and solace.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.