Rialtoscuro

a blurry image of a light source

Rialtoscuro

n.
the disorientation of stepping outside a movie theater into unexpected darkness—a twinge of jet lag after letting your mind escape to some other world for a while, only to be thrown abruptly back into reality.

Italian rialto, a theater district + oscuro, dark, obscure. Compare chiaroscuro, which describes a quality of visual art that emphasizes the contrast between deep shade and bright light. Pronounced “ree-al-toh-skyoor-oh.”

Flichtish

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

Solysium

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

Nodrophobia

close-up of a stained shirt

Walloway

water faucet that seems to emanate from the ground

Elosy

a blurry image of a person in a subway car

Foilsick

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