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  1. ennui love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom: "The servants relieved their ennui with gambling and gossip about their masters” ( John Barth).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A painful or wearisome state of mind due to the want of any object of interest, or to enforced attention to something destitute of interest; the condition of being bored; tedium.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression (Wikipedia).

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A feeling of weariness and disgust; dullness and languor of spirits, arising from satiety or want of interest; tedium.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. the feeling of being bored by something tedious

Etymologies

  1. French, from Old French enui, from ennuyer, to annoy, bore; see annoy. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘ennui’.

Comments

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  • ruzuzu Wait a minute. Is bilby a vampire? Dec 11, 2010

  • yarb Please tell me that Bill is a vampire too!

    A vampire named Bill would really be the icing on this whole Buffy / Twilight vampire cake. Dec 10, 2010

  • Noelle Knight Now I learn from Bill that there were vampires who became afflicted with terrible remorse, or perhaps ennui, after a long life. -Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas Dec 10, 2010

  • madmouth how hateful all this clicking is

    one is simply nauseous at it Apr 27, 2009

  • dimã©lion not sure if this is common knowledge in Wordie World, but "ennui" is derived from the same phrase "annoyed" is derived from; which is to say, "mihi in odio est" (Latin: "it is hateful to me"). Apr 27, 2009

  • bilby 1. You can click the 'more' button to feel at least displeased and discontent.
    2. Go humbug Princeton.
    Apr 27, 2009

  • madmouth Where can we apply to change the definition? "ennui" isn't boredom; it's being sick of life; it's a state of mind. Apr 27, 2009

  • reesetee I'd reply to your comment, but I can't be bothered. Feb 24, 2009

  • sionnach Happy Wordie bisesquicentennial to ennui, who would take a bow, except that it's all just so --- what's the word? Oh, who cares, really? Feb 24, 2009

  • dgstone Pronounced "ahn·new·ee." Gorey's Gashleycrumb Tinies was a stroke of genius.

    Mar 15, 2008

  • Prolagus For Ennui is a growth of English root,
    Though nameless in our language:--we retort
    The fact for words, and let the French translate
    That awful Yawn which Sleep cannot abate.

    (Lord Byron) Mar 12, 2008

  • oroboros Interesting to compare and contrast weltschmerz with ennui. Aug 14, 2007

  • sera Gotta have ennui. Aug 14, 2007

  • uncleosbert thank you, gustave flaubert
    Jul 8, 2007

  • evin290 This always reminds me of the Gashleycrumb Tinies. May 20, 2007

  • tankexmortis Damn you nkocharh! I came here just to mention that line, thereby impressing the entire internet with my leet knowledge of counter-culture heroes. But I guess you're 51 days leeter than I.

    Seriously though - best Gorey line ever. Feb 1, 2007

  • kamezuki Zorak: Brak, be honest now. Are you or are you not totally and completely nuts? Well?
    Brak: I'm thinking!
    Space Ghost: Oh, this is all so childish. So meaningless.
    Brak: It's merely symptomatic of our postmodern ennui. There are no absolutes--unless you perceive our world as meaningless, when it's really your OWN freedom you detest! ... I like pork! Jan 27, 2007

  • nkocharh Thank you, Edward Gorey. Dec 11, 2006

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‘ennui’ has been looked up 10383 times, loved by 96 people, added to 401 lists, commented on 18 times, and has a Scrabble score of 5.