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
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
While Glander’s characters may suffer from teenage ennui, the movie’s vivid animation inspires anything but boredom.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 14 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
Ben Jureidini, Them., 22 Aug. 2025
While Glander’s characters may suffer from teenage ennui, the movie’s vivid animation inspires anything but boredom.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 14 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
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If the behavior stops when distracted, boredom is likely the cause.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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So Fox cued up a clip of herself on screen, much to the child’s boredom.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ennui.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ennui. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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