mindmap root((厌倦)) tedium is likely to suggest dullness and lowness of spirits resulting from irksome inactivity or sameness or monotony of occupation: could scarcely bear the ~ of listening to one long lecture after another. boredom adds suggestions of listlessness, dreariness, and unrest that accompany an environment or situation or company that fails to stimulate or challenge: seeks distraction from the ~ of housework. ennui stresses profound dissatisfaction or weariness of spirit and often suggests physical depression as well as boredom: a life of self-indulgence that later left him subject to feelings of ~. doldrums applies to a period of depression marked by listlessness, lagging spirits, and despondency: failed to raise her from the ~; or implies a dull inactive state: the stock market has been in the ~ lately.