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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ennui
Ironically, The Cure’s Robert Smith dealt with all this ennui in a simple lyric.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
All of Ibsen is there – the murderous marital ennui, the broiling rage under the bourgeois façade – but DaCosta has made one key change to the original play.
—Ben Jureidini, Them., 22 Aug. 2025
Some researchers also felt that a certain ennui has settled over the effort to interpret quantum mechanics.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Do marketers genuinely believe this level of ennui, fatalism and misery is good for business?
—Solitaire Townsend, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ennui
Damon Wise, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
All of Ibsen is there – the murderous marital ennui, the broiling rage under the bourgeois façade – but DaCosta has made one key change to the original play.
—Ben Jureidini, Them., 22 Aug. 2025
Some researchers also felt that a certain ennui has settled over the effort to interpret quantum mechanics.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Do marketers genuinely believe this level of ennui, fatalism and misery is good for business?
—Solitaire Townsend, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ennui
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ennui
boredom
Noun
-
The sentiment is notably devoid of any sense of boredom or burnout from the 22-year-old who signed his first recording contract at 15.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Hegel even worried that the world would reach a state of global boredom.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ennui.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ennui. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share