doldrums means usually preceded by the: a state of apathy or lack of interest; a situation where one feels boredom, ennui, or tedium; a state of listlessness or malaise.
doldrums is pronounced /ˈdɒldɹəmz/.
Why “doldrums” is a great word
A state of listlessness, stagnation, or low spirits, or a region of the ocean near the equator characterized by calm winds that hinder a sailing ship's progress. From obsolete 'doldrum' (a slothful or stupid person) + the plural suffix -s; 'doldrum' is possibly derived from 'dull' or Middle English 'dold' (past participle of 'dullen', 'dollen', meaning 'to make or become blunt, dull, or stupid'), modeled after 'tantrum'. First recorded in 1795–1805. Unlike ennui, which suggests a cultivated, philosophical weariness, or lethargy, a physiological lack of energy, the doldrums are steeped in the blunt, physical fact of motionlessness—the sail hanging limp as glassy water stretches to every horizon, the afternoon that refuses to advance, the mind circling the same half-thought without purchase. It is the weight of time unspooling in identical days, where the soul itself lies becalmed, waiting on a change it cannot summon.
Etymology
From obsolete doldrum (“slothful or stupid person”) plus the plural suffix -s. Doldrum is possibly derived from dull or Middle English dold (past participle of dullen, dollen (“to make or become blunt or dull; to make or become dull-witted or stupid; to make or become inactive”), from dul, dol, dolle (“not sharp, blunt, dull; not quick-witted, stupid; lethargic, sluggish”); see further at dull), modelled after tantrum.
noun
- Usually preceded by the: a state of apathy or lack of interest; a situation where one feels boredom, ennui, or tedium; a state of listlessness or malaise.“I was in the doldrums yesterday and just didn’t feel inspired.”
- Usually preceded by the: the state of a sailing ship when it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds, and is unable to make progress.“[F]rom the bluff-head, where I watched to-day, / I saw her in the doldrums; for the wind / Was light and baffling.”
- Usually preceded by the: a part of the ocean near the equator where calms, squalls, and light, baffling winds are common.“Mr. Ralph Abercromby has made special observations on the upper wind currents over the equator in the Atlantic Ocean. [...] With respect to the general circulation of the atmosphere we know that the surface trades either die out at the doldrums or unite into one moderate east current; that the low and middle currents over the doldrums are very variable, but that the winds at these low and middle l”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- dreariness 84% match — The characteristic of being dreary. vs doldrums →
- lassitude 84% match — Lethargy or lack of energy; fatigue, languor, listlessness vs doldrums →
- lethargy 84% match — A state of extreme torpor, sopor or apathy, especially with lack of emotion, energy or enthusiasm; (loosely) sluggishness, laziness. vs doldrums →
- acedia 83% match — Spiritual or mental sloth and the feeling it provokes; apathy or indifference; a lack of care or interest and the resultant avoidance of duties; a bored melancholy leading to desperation, restlessness and anxiety. vs doldrums →
- tedium 83% match — Boredom or tediousness; ennui. vs doldrums →
- ennui 83% match — A gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression. vs doldrums →
- dolefulness 82% match — The characteristic of being doleful; sadness. vs doldrums →
- accidie 82% match — Sloth, slothfulness, especially as inducing general listlessness and apathy. vs doldrums →