Insoucism

Cover image for the Insoucism word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Insoucism

n.
the inability to decide how much sympathy your situation really deserves, knowing that so many people have it far worse and others far better, that some people would need years of therapy to overcome what you have, while others would barely think to mention it in their diary that day.

French soucis, worries + insouciance, indifference. Who knows what an ordinary person should be expected to handle? Perhaps human life is so tough that we all deserve some sympathy. Or perhaps it’s such a privilege to be alive at all that none of us has the right to complain. Pronounced “in-soo-siz-uhm.”

Hemeisis

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Fensiveness

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Emorries

a magnifying glass over photos and books

Siso

Cover image for the Siso word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Kenaway

Cover image for the Kenaway word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Rasque

close-up of the shards of a broken vase