What’s a better way to pepper your articles than to use words from a dictionary of obscure sorrows? With more new words being made up on a regular basis, here are some ‘new’ words – some foreign in origin, some made up – that will make you seem more deep dish (read: emo).
Adronitis: A frustration with how long it takes to get to know someone. “She doesn’t talk much, and I’m feeling adronitis.”
Altschmerz: Tired of the same old issues you’ve had for years – the boring flaws, the gnawing anxieties, etc. “My altschmerz tells me I need to change my environment.”
Anecdoche: Everyone’s talking, but no one’s listening. “Anecdoche is so common on road trips.”
Anemoia: A nostalgic sense of longing for a past you yourself have never lived. “I get anemoia when listening to old songs.”
Chrysalism: The tranquil state of being indoors during a thunderstorm. “I hate thunders, I need some chrysalism.”
Énouement: The bitter sweetness of having arrived in the future, seeing how things turned out, but not being able to tell your past self. “Watching Bladerunner is like experiencing énouement.”
Related: The Origins of Popular English Idioms
Exulansis: The tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people can’t relate to it. “The defendant seems to be in a state of exulansis.”
Jouska: A hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head. “I keep having jouska moments with Ally.”
Kenopsis: The eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet. “There’s kenopsis in that auditorium.”
Kuchisabishi: A Japanese word meaning “lonely mouth”, and refers to that feeling of needing to eat something but you’re not hungry.
Kuebiko: A state of exhaustion inspired by acts of senseless violence. “Social media is making me feel kuebiko.”
Lachesism: The desire to be struck by disaster—to lose your phone—to put a kink in your smooth life. “Are you experiencing lachesism?”
Related: 13 Reasons English is Confusing AF
Mauerbauertraurigkeit: The inexplicable urge to push people away, even people you really like. “It’s not you, I’m just feeling mauerbauertraurigkeit.”
Monachopsis: The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place. “When it’s a party full of people you don’t know, there’s always a sense of monachopsis.”
Morgenmuffel: A German word for someone who is extremely grumpy in the mornings.
Nodus Tollens: The realisation that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore. “Hans suddenly had a nodus tollens moment.”
Onism: The frustration of being in one place at one time. “Have you had the feeling of onism?”
Opia: The ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable. “The way bae looked into my eyes felt very opia.”
Sonder: A realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. “He stopped talking, as if hit by sonder.”
Vellichor: The strange wistfulness of used bookstores. “Visiting that bookstore in Portugal gave me a sense of velichor.”
Vemödalen: The frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist. “Populating my Instagram page always makes me feel vemödalen.”
