acedia

[uh-see-dee-uh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR acedia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

laziness or indifference in religious matters.

Origin of acedia

1600–10; < Late Latin acēdia < Greek akḗdeia, equivalent to akēdḗ(s) (a- a-⁶ + -kēdēs, adj. derivative of kêdos care, anxiety) + -ia -ia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for acedia

inactivity, stagnation, inertia, passivity, doldrums, dormancy, lethargy, torpidity, quietude, stasis, slothfulness, idleness, torpor, quiescence, inertness, indolence, deferral, suspension, ennui, lassitude

Examples from the Web for acedia

Historical Examples of acedia

He knew that he had that sentimental disorder which he called 'acedia,' and wished to be rid of it.
The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times
Alfred Biese
What in Petrarch was a tendency, became an established condition in Rousseau: the acedia reached its climax.
The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times
Alfred Biese

British Dictionary definitions for acedia

acedia

noun

another word for accidie

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012