むなしさ
むなしさ
noun
emptiness; futility; a hollow feeling
1.
emptiness; futility; a hollow feeling
The feeling of emptiness, meaninglessness, or futility. The nominalized form of むなしい (empty, vain).
むなしさを感じる。
I feel a sense of emptiness.
努力が報われない時のむなしさは大きい。
The feeling of futility when your efforts aren't rewarded is overwhelming.
長年打ち込んできた仕事を辞めた後、言いようのないむなしさに襲われた。
After quitting the job I had devoted myself to for years, I was overcome by an indescribable emptiness.
The noun form of the adjective むなしい (empty, futile, vain), formed with the suffix さ. Can also be written as 虚しさ or 空しさ in kanji, though hiragana is common. Expresses a deep emotional emptiness or the realization that something was meaningless.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- むなしさを感じる: to feel emptiness
- むなしさに襲われる: to be overcome by emptiness
- むなしさが残る: a feeling of emptiness remains
- むなしさを覚える: to experience a feeling of futility
- 言いようのないむなしさ: an indescribable emptiness
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 空虚: void, emptiness — more literary and philosophical
- 寂しさ: loneliness — feeling of being alone, not necessarily futile
- 無力感: sense of powerlessness — focused on inability to act
- 虚無感: sense of nihilism — deeper philosophical emptiness