acedia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Perhaps the best term for Fran’s persistent mood is acedia, that feeling of not caring much about anything, especially one’s position in the world.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024

The literal meaning of acedia, derived from Greek, is something like "not caring," which explains why "boring" is subjective.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2021

I discovered acedia spread from the Desert Fathers into the monasteries of medieval Europe, where it was seen as a sin that monks needed to overcome.

From The Guardian • May 29, 2019

Ego citare hic est, ab D.nus Thomas Doyle, olim molestie Vaticanae Legationem in Washington et maturam aestimator Ecclesiae catholicae acedia respondendo ad puer-raptu allegationes exercent.

From Slate • Feb. 11, 2013

What in Petrarch was a tendency, became an established condition in Rousseau: the acedia reached its climax.

From The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times by Biese, Alfred