anomie
noun
an·o·mie
| \ ˈa-nə-mē
\
\
variants:
or less commonly anomy
Definition of anomie
: social instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values
The reforms of a ruined economy, under these conditions, brought about social anomie, desperation and poverty rather than relief and prosperity.— T. Mastnak
also
: personal unrest, alienation, and uncertainty that comes from a lack of purpose or ideals
In the face of these prevailing values, many workers experience a kind of anomie. Their jobs become empty, meaningless, and intrinsically unsatisfying. — Robert Straus
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Other Words from anomie
anomic
\ ə-ˈnä-mik
, -ˈnō-
\
adjective
, -ˈnō-
\
adjective
Examples of anomie in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In recent years, sound baths have made waves in meditation and therapeutic circles as antidotes to stress, depression, anomie, and more. — Jennifer Emerling, National Geographic, "Seeking silence on a California road trip," 6 Aug. 2019 The culture gets bored when the talk turns to spiritual impoverishment, fraying familial bonds, anomie. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "The Millennial Who Rejects Hipness and Irony," 14 June 2019 Drnaso’s simple, rigid drawings capture the bleak blankness of much contemporary life, anomie hovering over almost every interaction, both real and virtual. — Kathleen Rooney, chicagotribune.com, "Nick Drnaso's 'Sabrina' dives deep into conspiracy theory and digital-era isolation," 10 May 2018 Marxism has always been polarizing, but perhaps the political anomie of 2018 leaves the debate over its relevance less ideologically encumbered than previous milestones. — Eoin O'carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, "Karl Marx turns 200: Are his ideas still relevant?," 4 May 2018 So what causes our halftime anomie, and can the causes be reasoned away? — Eric Felten, WSJ, "Review: Is That All There Is?," 19 Oct. 2017 The quest for happiness amid postwar suburban anomie had already spawned Dianetics, the metaphysical movement first propounded in 1950 by L. Ron Hubbard, who four years later rebranded it as Scientology. — Margalit Fox, New York Times, "Arthur Janov, 93, Dies; Psychologist Caught World’s Attention With ‘Primal Scream’," 2 Oct. 2017 The concern of the Committee for Economic Development was to prevent the economy from regressing to the levels of unemployment, weak productivity, and social anomie that characterized the 1930s. — Thomas S. Hibbs, National Review, "‘The End of Loyalty’ and the Surge in Populist Sentiment," 31 Aug. 2017 Andrew Upton’s adaptation of an early Anton Chekhov play about provincial anomie winds down its Broadway run. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, "What’s New in NYC Theater," 16 Mar. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anomie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for anomie
anomie
noun
an·o·mie
variants:
also anomy \ ˈan-ə-mē
\
\
Medical Definition of anomie
: social instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values
also
: personal unrest, alienation, and anxiety that comes from a lack of purpose or ideals