Meanings
nounennui (countable and uncountable, plural ennuis)
plural ennuis
- countableuncountableA gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression.
There have always been individuals who toy with the political extremes out of a sort of high-class ennui.
2025 June 14, Janan Ganesh, “How boredom gave us chaos”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 20Synonyms: acedia, Weltschmerz, boredom, depression
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
- Proto-Italic*en
- Proto-Italic*en-
- Latinin-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃ed-
- Proto-Italic*odjom
- Latinodium
- Late Latininodiāre
- Old Frenchenuier?
- Old Frenchenui
- Frenchennui
- Englishennui
Unadapted borrowing from French ennui, from Old French enui (“annoyance”), from enuier (modern French ennuyer), from Late Latin inodiō, from Latin in odiō (“hated”). Doublet of annoy.
More words from French, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian скука
- скука (skuka)listlessness, boredom
Czech otrávenost, znuděnost
- otrávenostlistlessness, boredom
- znuděnostlistlessness, boredom
Danish kedsomhed, sløvhed
- kedsomhedlistlessness, boredom
- sløvhedlistlessness, boredom
- ligegyldighedlistlessness, boredom
- apatilistlessness, boredom
- depressionmelancholia, depression
- melankolimelancholia, depression
- tungsindmelancholia, depression
- sørgmodighedmelancholia, depression
Dutch lusteloosheid, verveling
- lusteloosheidlistlessness, boredom
- vervelinglistlessness, boredom
Esperanto enuo, enuo
- enuolistlessness, boredom
- enuomelancholia, depression
Finnish ikävystyminen, ikävyys
- ikävystyminenlistlessness, boredom
- ikävyyslistlessness, boredom
- tylsyyslistlessness, boredom
- ikävämelancholia, depression
French apathie, indolence
- apathielistlessness, boredom
- indolencelistlessness, boredom
- mélancoliemelancholia, depression
- dépressionmelancholia, depression
German Langeweile, Apathie
- Langeweilelistlessness, boredom
- Apathielistlessness, boredom
- Depressionmelancholia, depression
- Melancholiemelancholia, depression
Hungarian kedvtelenség, közöny
- kedvtelenséglistlessness, boredom
- közönylistlessness, boredom
- unalomlistlessness, boredom
Icelandic leiðindi, lífsleiði
- leiðindilistlessness, boredom
- lífsleiðimelancholia, depression
- óyndimelancholia, depression
Irish atuirse, bailitheacht
- atuirselistlessness, boredom
- bailitheachtlistlessness, boredom
- liostachtlistlessness, boredom
- lagspridmelancholia, depression
Italian noia, tedio
- noialistlessness, boredom
- tediolistlessness, boredom
- malinconiamelancholia, depression
- depressionemelancholia, depression
Japanese 無聊, つれづれ
- 無聊 (buryō)listlessness, boredom
- つれづれ (tsurezure)listlessness, boredom
- アンニュイ (annyui)listlessness, boredom
- 憂鬱 (yūutsu)melancholia, depression
- もの憂さ (monousa)melancholia, depression
- アンニュイ (annyui)melancholia, depression
Latin taedium
- taediumlistlessness, boredom
Māori ro(w)hea
- ro(w)healistlessness, boredom
Norwegian Bokmål kjedsomhet
- kjedsomhetlistlessness, boredom
Polish znużenie, depresja
- znużenielistlessness, boredom
- depresjamelancholia, depression
- melancholiamelancholia, depression
Portuguese tédio, enfado
- tédiolistlessness, boredom
- enfadolistlessness, boredom
- fastiolistlessness, boredom
- melancoliamelancholia, depression
- depressãomelancholia, depression
Russian ску́ка, тоска́
- ску́ка (skúka)listlessness, boredom
- тоска́ (toská)listlessness, boredom
- тоска́ (toská)melancholia, depression
- хандра́ (xandrá)melancholia, depression
Spanish tedio, aburrimiento
- tediolistlessness, boredom
- aburrimientolistlessness, boredom
- apatíalistlessness, boredom
- enuílistlessness, boredom
- melancolíamelancholia, depression
Swedish leda, tristess
- ledalistlessness, boredom
- tristesslistlessness, boredom
- långtråkighetlistlessness, boredom
Tagalog pantot
- pantotlistlessness, boredom
Turkish sıkıntı, usanç
- sıkıntılistlessness, boredom
- usançlistlessness, boredom
- bıkkınlıklistlessness, boredom
- bezginliklistlessness, boredom
- bunaltımelancholia, depression
- bunlukmelancholia, depression
- buhranmelancholia, depression
- melalmelancholia, depression
Welsh diflastod, diflastod
- diflastodlistlessness, boredom
- diflastodmelancholia, depression
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ennui
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
ennui. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ennui
MLA
“ennui.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ennui. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ennui,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ennui.
Source: ennui on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.