ennui

en·nui (

n-w

)

Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom: "The servants relieved their ennui with gambling and gossip about their masters" (John Barth).

[French, from Old French enui, from ennuyer, to annoy, bore; see annoy.]

Word History: Were they alive today, users of Classical Latin might be surprised to find that centuries later a phrase of theirs still survives, although as a single word. The phrase mihi in odi est (literally translated as "to me in a condition of dislike or hatred is"), meaning "I hate or dislike," gave rise to the Vulgar Latin verb *inodire, "to make odious," the source of the Old French verb ennuyer or anoier, "to annoy, bore." This was borrowed into English by around 1275 as anoien, our annoy. From the Old French verb a noun meaning "worry, boredom" was derived, which became ennui in modern French. This noun, with the sense "boredom," was borrowed into English in the 18th century, perhaps filling a need in polite, cultivated society.

ennui [ˈɒnwiː (French) ɑ̃nɥi]

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

[from French: apathy, from Old French enui annoyance, vexation; see annoy]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun

ennui - the feeling of being bored by something tedious

boredom, tedium

dissatisfaction - the feeling of being displeased and discontent; "he was never slow to express his dissatisfaction with the service he received"

blahs - a general feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction

fatigue - (always used with a modifier) boredom resulting from overexposure to something; "he was suffering from museum fatigue"; "after watching TV with her husband she had a bad case of football fatigue"; "the American public is experiencing scandal fatigue"; "political fatigue"

ennui

noun (Literary) boredom, dissatisfaction, tiredness, the doldrums, lethargy, tedium, lassitude, listlessness He suffered from ennui whenever he was alone.

Translations

ennui [ɑ̃ːˈnwiː] N → tedio m, hastío m

ennui [ˈɒnwiː] n → ennui m

ennui

n no pl (liter) → Ennui m (liter)

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acedia Acturience blahs bore bored boredom bother dissatisfaction doldrums ennuied Ennuye Ennuyee envelope fatigue impediment languor lassitude mind mope	and it was all from ennui, gentlemen, all from ennui; inertia overcame me. Notes from the Underground by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor View in context The surmise of my maturer years is that, bored by her interminable life, the venerable antiquity was simply yawning with ennui at every seam. The Mirror of the Sea by Conrad, Joseph View in context After four days of solitude, ennui, and consciousness of his impotence and insignificance- particularly acute by contrast with the sphere of power in which he had so lately moved- and after several marches with the marshal's baggage and the French army, which occupied the whole district, Balashev was brought to Vilna- now occupied by the French- through the very gate by which he had left it four days previously. War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context	ennead enneagon Enneagonal Enneagynous Enneahedral Enneahedria enneahedron Enneandria Enneandrian Enneapetalous Enneaspermous Enneatic Enneatical day Enneatical year Ennerdale Water Ennew Enniche Ennis Enniskillen Ennius ennoble Ennoblement Ennobler ennobling ennog ennui ennuied Ennuye Ennuyee ENO Enoch Enodal Enodation Enode Enoint enoki enokidake enol enolase enolic enologist enology enomancy enomania Enomotarch Enomoty enophile enophily enophobia Enopla Enoptomancy	Ennius Ennius Ennius Ennius, Quintos Ennius, Quintus Ennius, Quintus Ennius, Quintus ENNO ennoble ennoble ennobled ennobled ennobled ennobled ennoblement ennoblement ennoblements ennoblements ennobler ennobler ennobles ennobles ennobling ennobling ennog Ennor Ennor Enns Enns Enns ennui ennuied Ennuye Ennuyee ENNWR Ennystimon Eno Eno Eno park Eno River Media Productions Eno River State Park Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Eno state park Eno Transportation Foundation ENOA ENOAS ENOAT ENOB ENOB Enobarbus Enoc Enoch Enoch Enoch Enoch Arden Enoch Arden Doctrine Enoch Arnold Bennett Enoch of Ascoli Enoch Paragon Limited Partnership

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acedia
Acturience
blahs
bore
bored
boredom
bother
dissatisfaction
doldrums
ennuied
Ennuye
Ennuyee
envelope
fatigue
impediment
languor
lassitude
mind
mope

and it was all from ennui, gentlemen, all from ennui; inertia overcame me.

Notes from the Underground by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor View in context

The surmise of my maturer years is that, bored by her interminable life, the venerable antiquity was simply yawning with ennui at every seam.

The Mirror of the Sea by Conrad, Joseph View in context

After four days of solitude, ennui, and consciousness of his impotence and insignificance- particularly acute by contrast with the sphere of power in which he had so lately moved- and after several marches with the marshal's baggage and the French army, which occupied the whole district, Balashev was brought to Vilna- now occupied by the French- through the very gate by which he had left it four days previously.

War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

ennui playV2('en/US/dt/dtddslskstd3hr');playV2('en/UK/dt/dtddslskstd3hr')

ennui