karoshi means death, such as from heart attack or stroke, brought on by overwork or job-related stress. It carries an Arena rating of 1560, earned across 59 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, karoshi ranks #21 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #57 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,439 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,892 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
karoshi is pronounced /kəˈɹəʊʃi/.
Why “karoshi” is a great word
KAROSHI — [Noun] Death, such as from heart attack or stroke, brought on by overwork or job-related stress. From Japanese 過労死 (karōshi), from 過労 (karō, “overwork”) + 死 (shi, “death”). First recorded in English use 1985–90. Unlike “burnout,” which describes a state of chronic exhaustion and reduced efficacy, or “occupational hazard,” a broad term for any job-related risk, karoshi names the terminal point of a specific, culturally-sanctioned pathology. It is the silent collapse at a cleared desk after a ninety-hour week, the unopened pension statement, and the empty desk refilled within a week—the quiet, bureaucratic extinction of a life mistaken for a resource.
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 過労死 (karōshi), from 過労 (karō, “overwork”) + 死 (shi, “death”). Doublet of guolaosi and gwarosa.
noun
- Death, such as from heart attack or stroke, brought on by overwork or job-related stress.e.g.“For a while he began to speak Japanese, rather slangy, never having seemed to learn it — karoshi for death from overwork, yakitaori-ya for eatery, and gaijin for clumsy foreigner.” — 1976, Bill Henderson, The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, Pushcart Press, page 207:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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