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
Utensils with Staying Power I’ve purged most of my cooking utensils in the past few years, motivated in part by the great black-plastic freakout, and in part by simple ennui.
—
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Among the notable new names set to walk the halls of the ennui-addled series are Natasha Lyonne, Eli Roth, YouTube icon Trisha Paytas, True Blood star Sam Trammell, and Till luminary Danielle Deadwyler.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
Chekhov mostly wrote about ennui-laden middle-class Russians trapped on their shrinking country estates.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
The film appears to be made by and for the kinds of people who might find themselves in a similar state of cozy ennui.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ennui
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ennui
boredom
Noun
-
Soon enough, once a candidate has entered the race, boredom sets in and the speculation and desire for someone fresh and different starts anew.—
-
Here’s to boredom, to wrong turns, to fruitful friction.—
Cite this Entry
“Ennui.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ennui. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share