Jaded
adjective /ˈdʒeɪdɪd/ — Tired of things that once excited you — worn down by too much of everything.
Definition
Made dull, apathetic, or cynical by overexposure or experience; no longer capable of genuine enthusiasm or surprise.
Beyond the definition
Jadedness is a kind of grief — the grief of lost wonder. It arrives quietly, often after a long stretch of getting exactly what you wanted. The jaded person has seen enough that nothing arrives fresh.
Origin & history
From jade — an exhausted or overworked horse. The word shifted from a tired animal to a tired mind, someone used up by experience.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
After years of travel, she'd become jaded about new destinations — every city started to look like the last.
He was too jaded for outrage; he'd seen the same stories repeat too many times.
There's something poignant about jaded people — they were once enthusiastic enough to be worn out.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Jaded” when the meaning fits your context: Made dull, apathetic, or cynical by overexposure or experience; no longer capable of genuine enthusiasm or surprise.
Synonyms
weary, blasé, cynical, disillusioned, burnt out, world-weary
Antonyms
enthusiastic, fresh, idealistic, wide-eyed
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Exhausted Person in Crowd
An adult sits on a public park bench with head in hands, appearing utterly exhausted and disconnected from the chaotic, swirling flow of people.
Jaded means made apathetic by overexposure. The subject’s deep fatigue and their utter disconnection from the energy of the crowd around them illustrate this, as they appear no longer capable of enthusiasm or surprise, feeling only the heavy, dull weight of witnessing struggles they cannot change or engage with.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Jaded" mean?
Jaded is adjective meaning: Tired of things that once excited you — worn down by too much of everything.. Made dull, apathetic, or cynical by overexposure or experience; no longer capable of genuine enthusiasm or surprise.
Where does the word "Jaded" come from?
From jade — an exhausted or overworked horse. The word shifted from a tired animal to a tired mind, someone used up by experience.