Meaning
A gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-der. Proto-Italic *odjom Latin odium Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Late Latin inodiāre Old French enuier? Old French enui French ennuiubor. English ennui 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.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 15 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-09-22NEIOQUX
- 2026-05-07NDUIEMZ
- 2026-03-21EILNPUV
- 2026-02-08IBELNTU
- 2026-01-24ECUTIFN
- 2025-12-18IUBNFEL
- 2025-11-20EYGUTNI
- 2025-05-24NXEUIGP
- 2025-02-07UEQIGNT
- 2024-12-22NBTIELU
- 2024-07-17UDEINTV
- 2024-02-27NDUIEPZ
+3 earlier appearances in the archive.