kenopsia
/kəˈnɑp.si.ə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The haunting quality of seeing a location typically full of people in a state of emptiness or abandonment.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Many of the places we visited have the distinct feel of kenopsia, which is that eeriness of places left behind or once teeming with people but now quiet, save for the wind blowing through open windows."
- "WHO calls it a global pandemic, Earth's population lost in kenopsia."
- "The other difference I noticed from '42 was the sharp drop in oyster farmhands, from hundreds to only three today. Looking around, I felt a touch of kenopsia; the canal seemed much emptier."
Etymology
Coined by American author and neologist John Koenig, creator of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, from Ancient Greek κενός (kenós, “empty”) and the modern English suffix -opsia, itself from the Ancient Greek -οψία (-opsía, “sight”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: κενός
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kəˈnɑp.si.ə/
- British English: /kəˈnɒp.si.ə/