boredom
English meaning: Boredom
Definition
The feeling of being tired and impatient because nothing interesting is happening.
Example
“Out of sheer boredom, he reorganised his entire bookshelf by colour one rainy Sunday afternoon.”
Another example: “He started doodling out of pure boredom during the long lecture.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A common everyday noun for the dull, restless feeling of having nothing engaging to do. Uncountable; often follows 'out of' (out of boredom) or describes a cause ('relieve the boredom').
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From 'bore' (to weary), of uncertain origin, plus the suffix '-dom'.
Synonyms
- tedium
- ennui
- weariness
- monotony
Antonyms / Opposites
Related Words
Common Collocations
- out of boredom
- sheer boredom
- relieve boredom
- stave off boredom
- crippling boredom
- die of boredom
Word Forms
boredom (n); bore (v); bored (adj); boring (adj)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B