anhedonia
Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:58 pm
I believe I may have discovered a word that is the converse of schadenfreude, or at least one describing someone who cannot partake of it.
In this article from the December 12, 2000, issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, whence came the inspiration for this submission, one of the subjects in the study is diagnosed with anhe(haw)donia.anhedonia
SYLLABICATION: an·he·do·ni·a
PRONUNCIATION: ăn'hē-dō'nē-ə
NOUN: The absence of pleasure or the ability to experience it.
ETYMOLOGY: New Latin anhēdonia : Greek an-, without; see [urlV]a–[su]1[/sup][/url] (Oops. Make that a–[sup]1[/sup]) + Greek hēdonē, pleasure; see swād- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: an'he·don'ic (-dŏ'nĭk) —ADJECTIVE
[The character ə is the elusive schwa]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.