What does ennuyee mean?
"Ennuyée" is a French borrowing used occasionally in English to describe a woman who is bored or world-weary — the feminine counterpart of the masculine "ennuyé." It derives from the French verb "ennuyer," meaning to bore or weary, whose past participle supplies both the adjective and, by extension, a noun for a person thus afflicted. The word belongs to the same family as "ennui," the better-known English import denoting listless dissatisfaction arising from idleness or monotony. In English prose, "ennuyée" appears mainly in literary or satirical contexts, often sketching a fashionable, idle woman at leisure to be bored: an elegant ennuiee drifting through salons and soirées. Its use lends a touch of Gallic sophistication, though many readers will find plain "bored" more natural. The word is best reserved for writing that deliberately cultivates a refined, slightly ironic register.
(Of a woman) bored or weary from lack of interest or occupation.
"By mid-afternoon she was utterly ennuiee, staring out at the rain."
Feminine form; the masculine is "ennuyé." Rare in English outside literary contexts.
A woman who suffers from ennui; a bored, listlessly discontented woman.
"He dismissed her as just another fashionable ennuiee."
Used chiefly in literary or satirical description.
Follows French pluralization, adding -s without changing the accent.
"The salon was crowded with elegant ennuiees seeking amusement."
Add one little -e to "ennuyé" and you've grammatically gendered boredom itself — French insists even ennui has a feminine side.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ennuyee
"Ennuyée" comes from the French verb "ennuyer" (to bore, to weary), formed from Old French "enui" (displeasure, annoyance), which traces back through Late Latin "inodiare" (to make odious) to Latin "odium," hatred or dislike. English took the related noun "ennui" from French in the 17th century, while the participial forms "ennuyé" and "ennuyée" remained largely French, surfacing in English only as stylistic borrowings. Cognates include "annoy" and "noisome," which entered English through Anglo-Norman branches of the same root.
Related word forms
How ennuyee is actually used
This is a rare, literary borrowing from French, carrying a deliberately chic or affected tone. It is feminine in form; "ennuyé" is the masculine equivalent. Most English writers simply use "bored" or the abstract noun "ennui," so deploying "ennuyée" signals conscious elegance — sometimes to the point of pretension.
Easily confused with ennuyee
"Ennui" is the abstract feeling of listless boredom itself, while "ennuyée" is the feminine personal form describing a woman experiencing that boredom.
"Ennuyé" is the masculine form in French, applied to men or generically, whereas "ennuyée" with the extra -e is specifically feminine.