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The Oxford dictionary list "acedia" as:

noun literary another term for accidie

Origin: early 17th century: via late Latin from Greek akēdia 'listlessness', from a- 'without' + kēdos 'care'

Is there an adjective for being in a state of acedia?

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Are you referring to one of the 7 Capital Sins? – Alenanno May 6 '11 at 15:12
Conceivably, I Googled for a word that met my feelings about a local election result. – Omar Kooheji May 6 '11 at 15:18
Personally, I'd just make-up and use acedic. – Matthew Read May 6 '11 at 16:10

3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

Considering that acedia is described by the NOAD as "spiritual or mental sloth, apathy," I would suggest apathetic, indolent, or lazy.

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up vote 1 down vote

I think you are referring to the Capital Sin, Sloth. In such case I'd say slothful. There is also sluggish (it is given as a synonym of listless in the NOAD).

Acedia is the Latin form for "Sloth", in italian "Accidia". (I was able to recognise it for this reason.)

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Isn't slothfulness a noun? – kiamlaluno May 6 '11 at 15:59
Ops, I got confused :| Edited. – Alenanno May 6 '11 at 16:15
+1 @kiamlaluno What if they are too slothful to find out! :) – Paul Amerigo Pajo May 7 '11 at 3:40
Believe it's a Cardinal Sin, not a Capital one. (Though yes, I often find it capital, and yes, there was a scarlet-robed Cardinal Sin - in the Philippines, IIRC) – TimLymington Jul 5 '11 at 9:52
It's a Capital Sin, but in the Wiki page it gives Cardinal as a synonym, although I thought it wasn't the same thing... :| – Alenanno Jul 5 '11 at 10:01
up vote 0 down vote

I can think of a couple synonyms, but not an adjective for acedia specifically.

Zen

Idyllic

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Those words have strong positive acceptions, but acedia does not. In fact, it rather indicates carelessness for life and apathy. – nico May 6 '11 at 17:40

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