Ennui is a state of listlessness or dissatisfaction.
Ennui can be caused by a lack of interest in the surrounding environment, or by a general lack of activity which promotes a bored, listless state.
The word was borrowed perhaps from French word ennuyer, which means “to annoy or bore.”
In the 13th century, the word came into English as “annoy,” while it evolved into ennui in French, for boredom. Members of the 17th century English nobility started using the new French word to describe their state of dissatisfaction in polite company, and it has been used ever since.
Ennui can be caused by a lack of interest in the surrounding environment, or by a general lack of activity which promotes a bored, listless state.
The word was borrowed perhaps from French word ennuyer, which means “to annoy or bore.”
In the 13th century, the word came into English as “annoy,” while it evolved into ennui in French, for boredom. Members of the 17th century English nobility started using the new French word to describe their state of dissatisfaction in polite company, and it has been used ever since.