Wednesday, May 24, 2023

10 Emotions You've Felt But Had No Name For

John Koenig is the marvelous author of THE DICTIONARY OF OBSCURE SORROWS, a book of neologisms to express new terms for subtle emotions. His made up words are combinations of word roots from languages all around the world. While the words themselves might sound clinical, their definitions are lyrical and touching. I have felt a few of these and am happy to know others have too...and that we finally have names for them, thanks to Koenig's imagination!

1. Chrysalism
[kris-a-lizim] The feeling of tranquility when you’re indoors when it’s raining heavily outside.

2. Lilo
[ly-lo] The friendship between two people who feel as if no time has passed when they see each other after a long period of separation.

3. Sonder
[son-der] The realization that every stranger and passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. That each person is occupied by their own personal ambitions, worries, and problems.

4. Monachopsis
[mo-na-kop-sis] The inability to adapt to your surroundings and the feeling of being out of place.

5. Eramnesia
[eram-nee-ja] The realization that you were born in the wrong time period, wishing you lived in another time.

6. Anemoia
[an-em-oh-ya] The feeling of nostalgia for a time or place that you have never experienced.

7. Pâro
[pah-ro] The feeling that no matter what you do, you’re doing it wrong.

8. Xeno
[zee-noh] The powerful moments shared between random strangers, such as a smile or a laugh, which reduce feelings of loneliness.

9. Acatalepsy
[aka-ta-lep-sy] The apparent impossibility of humans ever comprehending the universe.

10. Liberosis
[lib-ero-sis] The desire to care less about things, to feel less.


https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/
And you can buy the book here on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Obscure-Sorrows-John-Koenig-ebook/dp/B08VJMFFRB?ref_=ast_author_mpb

2 comments:

tuckova said...

This is weird. These are taken from "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" -- they're not words that exist but words that a writer made up to beautifully encapsulate feelings he identified.
https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/
Koenig also made videos for some words that I think you would appreciate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkoML0_FiV4

Jeff said...

Hi tuckova,

THANK YOU so much for that information! I can always count on you. I corrected the posting and credit John Koenig. Annoyingly the article from Esquire does NOT credit Koenig at all! :-(

JEF