Etymology

• From < < (see and ) < <

Noun

1. A gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression.

Noun

1. Boredom; lassitude.
   • 1832, Honoré de Balzac, La Femme de Trente Ans, Chapter 3,

     Notre ennui, nos mœurs fades sont le résultat du système politique. — Our boredom, our insipid customs, are the result of the political system.

2. Trouble, issue, annoyance.

Usage notes

• In the sense of "trouble", the word is almost solely used in the expression or as a pluralia tantum (see ).