anhedonia
|an-he-do-ni-a|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.hiːˈdoʊ.ni.ə/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.hiːˈdəʊ.ni.ə/
inability to feel pleasure
Etymology
'anhedonia' originates from Greek, specifically the prefix 'an-' meaning 'without' and the noun 'hēdonē' meaning 'pleasure, delight', entering English via French 'anhédonie' in late 19th-century psychological discourse.
'anhédonie' in late-19th-century French psychology (notably T.-A. Ribot) was adopted into English as 'anhedonia' and became standard in psychiatric and psychological terminology.
Initially, it meant 'lack of capacity for pleasure' in clinical contexts; over time, use broadened to include general 'reduced or absent ability to feel enjoyment' beyond strictly diagnostic settings.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in clinical psychology and psychiatry, the inability or markedly reduced ability to experience pleasure from activities that are typically found enjoyable.
The psychiatrist noted pronounced anhedonia along with low energy and poor sleep.
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Noun 2
a general lack of enjoyment or diminished capacity to feel joy in everyday life, not necessarily as a formal diagnosis.
After the breakup, he described a stretch of anhedonia where nothing felt rewarding.
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Last updated: 2025/08/10 14:08