ennui
verbEtymology Unadapted borrowing from French ennui, from Old French enui (“annoyance”), from enuier (modern French ennuyer), from Late Latin inodiō, from Latin in odiō (“hated”). Doublet of annoy.
1
To make bored or listless; to weary.
ennui
nounUK /ɒnˈwiː/ · US /ɑnˈwi/
Etymology Unadapted borrowing from French ennui, from Old French enui (“annoyance”), from enuier (modern French ennuyer), from Late Latin inodiō, from Latin in odiō (“hated”). Doublet of annoy.
1
A gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression.
- There have always been individuals who toy with the political extremes out of a sort of high-class ennui.2025 June 14, Janan Ganesh, “How boredom gave us chaos”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 20:
- Synonyms
- acedia, Weltschmerz, boredom