ennui

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Quotations 1.3.3 Translations 2 French 2.1 Pronunciation 2.2 Noun 2.2.1 Usage notes 2.2.2 Related terms

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

• From French ennui < Old French enui (“‘annoyance’”) < enuier (see ennuyer and annoy) < Vulgar Latin inodiare < Latin odium (“‘hate’”)

[edit] Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ɒnˈwiː/
• (US) IPA: /ɑnˈwi/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

ennui (uncountable)

1. A gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression.

[edit] Synonyms

• acedia
• weltschmerz

[edit] Quotations

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

[edit] Translations

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[edit] French

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɑ̃.nɥi/

   Audio (France)^{help, file}

• Homophones: ennuis

[edit] Noun

ennui m. (plural ennuis)

1. (uncountable) Boredom; lassitude.
   • 1832, Honoré de Balzac, La Femme de Trente Ans, Chapter 3,

     Notre ennui, nos mœurs fades sont le résultat du système politique. — Our boredom, our insipid customs, are the result of the political system.

2. (uncountable) Trouble, issue, annoyance.

[edit] Usage notes

• In the sense of "trouble", the word is almost solely used in the expression l'ennui avec or as a pluralia tantum (see ennuis).

[edit] Related terms

• ennuyer
• ennuyeux