acedia
/əˈsiːdɪə/noun
acedia is spelled A-C-E-D-I-A: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 50 million words in written English, the 220,118th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, acedia means “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…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in acedia?
| Letters | 6: A-C-E-D-I-A |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 50 million words; the 220,118th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is acedia?
Acedia appears about once in every 50 million words in written English, the 220,118th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce acedia?
- /əˈsiːdɪə/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of acedia
- accedie
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does acedia mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
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.
Her acedia kept her trapped in a cycle of depression and torpor.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Acedia in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | acédie |
| German | Faulheit f oder Trägheit f des Herzens, Geistes , Apathie, Phlegma, Trägheit, Dumpfheit |
| Spanish | acedia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does acedia come from?
Borrowed from Latin acēdia, borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀκηδίᾱ (akēdíā), from ἀκηδής (akēdḗs, “careless”) + -ίᾱ (-íā). Doublet of accidie.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).