Meaning
Spiritual or mental sloth and the feeling it provokes; apathy or indifference; a lack of care or interest and the resultant avoidance of duties; a bored melancholy leading to desperation, restlessness and anxiety.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₂d- Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₂dos Proto-Hellenic *kā́dos Ancient Greek κῆδος (kêdos) Ancient Greek ἀκηδής (akēdḗs) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā) Ancient Greek ἀκηδίᾱ (akēdíā)bor. Latin acēdiabor. English acedia Borrowed from Latin acēdia, borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀκηδίᾱ (akēdíā), from ἀκηδής (akēdḗs, “careless”) + -ίᾱ (-íā). Doublet of accidie.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026.