Acedia

Pronunciation: /əˈsiːdiə/

Definitions of acedia

noun a state of listlessness or torpor, of not caring or not being concerned with one's position or condition in the world

Example Sentences

A1 The student felt acedia when faced with a difficult test.

A2 Acedia can sometimes be mistaken for laziness.

B1 The monk struggled with acedia during his time of solitude.

B2 Acedia is often associated with a lack of motivation and purpose.

C1 Psychologists study the effects of acedia on mental health.

C2 Overcoming acedia requires a deep understanding of one's own emotions and motivations.

Examples of acedia in a Sentence

formal The monk struggled with acedia, a spiritual apathy that hindered his devotion to prayer.

informal I've been feeling a bit of acedia lately, just not motivated to do much of anything.

slang I can't shake off this feeling of acedia, it's like a constant cloud hanging over me.

figurative Acedia is like a heavy weight on your shoulders, dragging you down and sapping your energy.

Grammatical Forms of acedia

• past tense: aced
• plural: acedias
• comparative: more acedia
• superlative: most acedia
• present tense: experience acedia
• future tense: will experience acedia
• perfect tense: have experienced acedia
• continuous tense: is experiencing acedia
• singular: acedia
• positive degree: acedia
• infinitive: to experience acedia
• gerund: experiencing acedia
• participle: experienced acedia

Origin and Evolution of acedia

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Greek and Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'acedia' originated from the Greek word 'akēdia', which means 'neglect' or 'carelessness'. It was later adapted into Latin as 'acedia'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in Christian theology to describe a spiritual apathy or indifference, the meaning of 'acedia' has evolved over time to also encompass a general sense of listlessness or boredom.