ennui

[ahn-wee, ahn-wee, ahn-nwee]

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

/ ˈɒnwiː, ɑ̃nɥi /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ennui¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from French: “boredom”; Old French a(n)nui, enui “displeasure”; annoy

Word History and Origins

Origin of ennui¹

C18: from French: apathy, from Old French enui annoyance, vexation; see _annoy

Example Sentences

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

To set the tenor, she destroys an entire medical laboratory in Kuala Lumpur while bemoaning her ennui.

From Los Angeles Times

This is where body horror comes in to turn our fear of mortality, or perhaps just ennui, into something, well, horrific.

From Los Angeles Times

He has not been in front of us and that absence has led to the sense of ennui among the opposition.

From Salon

Never explicitly, “All We Imagine as Light,” a miraculously subtle piece of work, poses all of the questions above, spreading a luxuriant, hypnotic ennui.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apathy 
• languor 
• melancholy 
• sadness 
• tedium 
• weariness 

When To Use

What does ennui mean?

Put simply, ennui is a French word that describes feelings associated with boredom.