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ennui

English → EnglishliteraryInstant · from the shared dictionary
ennui

Ennui is a profound sense of listlessness, boredom, or dissatisfaction that arises from a lack of interest or excitement in life. Unlike simple boredom, which is usually fleeting, ennui feels like a heavy, existential weariness—it is the feeling of having nothing to do and finding the world itself profoundly uninteresting. This word is almost exclusively used in literary or formal contexts to describe a sophisticated or philosophical type of fatigue. It is often associated with the wealthy or the intellectual, suggesting that one has seen and done so much that nothing can provide genuine stimulation anymore.

In conversation

Discussing a dull afternoon

I’ve read every book on my shelf and watched all the movies. I’m just filled with ennui today.

I’ve read every book on my shelf and watched all the movies. I’m just filled with ennui today.

That sounds like a fancy way of saying you’re bored, Sarah.

That sounds like a fancy way of saying you’re bored, Sarah.

Ennui is often used ironically or self-deprecatingly when someone is feeling particularly uninspired.

Discussing a character in a novel

The protagonist is consumed by a deep sense of ennui throughout the second act.

The protagonist is consumed by a deep sense of ennui throughout the second act.

Does that mean he’s just depressed, or is it more of a lack of purpose?

Does that mean he’s just depressed, or is it more of a lack of purpose?

In literary analysis, ennui is frequently used to discuss characters who feel detached from their social environment.

Examples

  1. The long afternoon at the office was filled with a sense of ennui.

    The long afternoon at the office was filled with a sense of ennui.

  2. Despite his immense wealth and global travels, he could not escape a persistent, gnawing ennui.

    Despite his immense wealth and global travels, he could not escape a persistent, gnawing ennui.

  3. The existential ennui that permeated the post-war generation defined much of the literature of that era.

    The existential ennui that permeated the post-war generation defined much of the literature of that era.

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