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
In the comics, the character was a soulful alien with a totally rad interstellar surfboard and a lot of existential ennui.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2025
The film, which premiered at Venice last year and is being released by Factory 25, is composed of vignettes that thematically build upon one another to conjure the distinctive lyricism of coastal ennui and the increasingly familiar dread of climate fatalism.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
So many of these new gadgets are straightforwardly presented as salves for the massive ennui that plays bass notes beneath the music of contemporary corporate culture.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
Conjuring the ennui that defines the current age, Levy tells the story of two friends, their sameness, and their differences: differences in class, in ambition, in success, in ability, and the desperation that can come from growing older, and being forced to face one’s own reality.
—Literary Hub
july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ennui
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2025
The film, which premiered at Venice last year and is being released by Factory 25, is composed of vignettes that thematically build upon one another to conjure the distinctive lyricism of coastal ennui and the increasingly familiar dread of climate fatalism.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
So many of these new gadgets are straightforwardly presented as salves for the massive ennui that plays bass notes beneath the music of contemporary corporate culture.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
Conjuring the ennui that defines the current age, Levy tells the story of two friends, their sameness, and their differences: differences in class, in ambition, in success, in ability, and the desperation that can come from growing older, and being forced to face one’s own reality.
—Literary Hub
july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ennui
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ennui
boredom
Noun
-
During her widowhood, in the early 1000s, out of grief or boredom, Lady Murasaki began writing The Tale of Genji in Japanese.—
Lauren Groff,
The Atlantic,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The story is a satire that follows a long flight between England and Australia, where passengers are forced to deal with boredom when the entertainment system fails.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ennui.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ennui. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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