noun
ennui
on-WEE
Ennui (noun) means a weary, dissatisfied boredom that comes from having nothing that feels worth doing. Example: “By August a kind of ennui had settled over the whole office.”
noun
1
A weary, dissatisfied boredom that comes from having nothing that feels worth doing.
"By August a kind of ennui had settled over the whole office."
"He drifted through his twenties in a fog of ennui."
How to use ennui
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA tired kind of boredom where nothing feels worth doing.
When to use it
Literary and slightly self-aware; uncommon in plain speech.
Memory tip
Ennui is uncountable — write 'a sense of ennui' or 'a kind of ennui', not 'an ennui'.
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Common pairings
a sense of ennui
suburban ennui
fill the ennui
profound ennui
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By August a kind of _____ had settled over the whole office.
Etymology
From French ennui 'boredom, annoyance', from ennuyer, which goes back to the Latin phrase in odio (esse) 'to be hateful'.
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for ennui
See all rhymes for ennui →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ennui and boredom?
Boredom is usually temporary and has a cause — a dull meeting, a wet afternoon. Ennui is a settled mood in which nothing at all seems worth the effort, closer to weariness with life than to lacking something to do.
How do you pronounce ennui?
It keeps its French sound: on-WEE, with the stress on the second syllable and a nasal first vowel. It is not pronounced 'en-you-eye'.
Is ennui the same as depression?
No. Ennui is an ordinary, if literary, description of a bored and jaded mood. Depression is a medical condition involving persistent low mood and loss of function, and it needs proper assessment rather than a French noun.
What is the meaning of ennui?
"ennui" (noun) means a weary, dissatisfied boredom that comes from having nothing that feels worth doing.
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