as in boredom
the state of being bored
the kind of ennui that comes from having too much time on one's hands and too little will to find something productive to do
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Recent Examples of ennui
Our essayist challenges that notion and encourages us to embrace ennui as a time to rest and rekindle the spirit.
—
Robert Klose, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2025
Like his late father’s homing pigeons who keep returning to their shabby rooftop coop — a holding-pattern image that echoes the ennui of Terry Malloy on a very different waterfront — he’s imprisoned by the limits of his knowledge, the petrified loop of his experience.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Alas, Godwin’s gentle take on the tragicomedy misses the explosive nature of this moment, the desperation these characters feel to change their fate right now or live and die steeped in stifling ennui.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
A feeling of ennui abides; this Camus comparison does not seem idle.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ennui
Robert Klose, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2025
Like his late father’s homing pigeons who keep returning to their shabby rooftop coop — a holding-pattern image that echoes the ennui of Terry Malloy on a very different waterfront — he’s imprisoned by the limits of his knowledge, the petrified loop of his experience.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Alas, Godwin’s gentle take on the tragicomedy misses the explosive nature of this moment, the desperation these characters feel to change their fate right now or live and die steeped in stifling ennui.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
A feeling of ennui abides; this Camus comparison does not seem idle.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ennui
Cite this Entry
“Ennui.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ennui. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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