Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ANOMIE

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pronounce ANOMIE: Say it "ANN uh mee." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: In 2013, having won the lottery, Jane Park fell into despair: "I have material things but apart from that my life is empty." You might explain Jane's enn__ (her feeling that life is dull and empty) with the word anomie: that's the feeling that, now that nothing is holding her back from doing whatever she wants, life no longer has the structure or standards that once filled it with order and meaning. Here's hoping she has since recovered--or soon will recover--her r____n d'e__e (her reason for living) and her j____de v__re (her joy of life). (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: If you combine some Greek roots that mean "without laws" (a-, meaning "without;" and nomos, meaning "law or custom"), you get the Greek anomos, meaning "lawless," and anomia, meaning "lawlessness."  Those words entered French as anomie, and then English around 1591 as "anomy," still meaning "lawlessness." So we could still use the English word "anomy" to mean "lawlessness," but we don't. At least, not often. Instead, we use the French spelling in English, "anomie," to mean a specific kind of lawlessness: a confusing, stressful lack of any social rules, values, or standards. Here's why. In 1897, the French sociologist Émile Durkheim published a book called Le Suicide, in which--forgive me for overgeneralizing this--he lists different types of suicides, or reasons why they happen, one being "anomic." Anomic suicide, Durkheim argued, happens when a kind of social lawlessness sends someone into despair. Someone gets divorced, for example, and his life no longer has the order that marriage always provided before. Or, someone becomes wealthy, and her life no longer has the structure or limits that her humbler finances always provided before. So, in English, around 1933, we re-borrowed the French anomie, this time using Durkheim's specific meaning. Anomie is the absence (or shortage) of any meaningful moral rules or standards in society. (That's the gist of it. But in various academic fields, folks still debate the meaning of "anomie" and how it should be measured.) grammatical bits: Part of speech: noun, the uncountable kind: "they're facing anomie," "they've endured this anomie." Other forms: The adjective is "anomic." Careful with "anomic," though. It might confuse your listeners. It happens to also be the adjective form of a totally different word, "anomia," which is the inability to recall words: "After her stroke, she suffered from anomia;" "After her stroke, she was severely anomic." Thanks a lot, Greek and Latin, for having similar-sounding words for "law" and "name." how to use it: Pick this rare, challenging word when you're sure that the context will help your audience understand it. Its tone is sharply negative. If you like, you can italicize it, anomie, to mark that it comes from French--but you don't have to. Talk about people facing anomie, struggling with anomie, enduring anomie, watching for signs of anomie, feeling a sense of anomie, etc. Or, talk about the anomie of something: "the anomie of this film," "the anomie of modern life." You might get more specific and talk about the anomie of some group, place, or time: "suburban anomie" (The New Yorker), "provincial anomie" (New York Times), "Gen-X anomie" (Slate), "upper-middle-class anomie" (Time). Or, talk about anomie itself doing something: "anomie resulted," "anomie ensued," "anomie reigned." (Yes, it would be ironic to say that anomie "reigns," kind of like saying "lawlessness is the law.") examples: "Unlike the characters in Lost in Translation, I don’t associate hotels with the onset of anomie."    — Guy Trebay, New York Times, 1 December 2011 "These users [of dating sites] wanted the traditional path of courtship and the monogamous relationship that modern life in general was compromising... But the bigger the pool of users, the more it evokes the anomie that this sort of dating-site user wants to escape."    — Rob Horning, Slate, 16 February 2013 has this page helped you understand "anomie"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "anomie" without saying "a breakdown in social values" or "a feeling of meaninglessness or lawlessness in today's society." try it out: On Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kimmy struggles to find meaning in life, but stumbles into anomie. Trying to convince her roommate to behave morally, she has a meltdown: "But it doesn't matter, does it? Because this is New York... Am I the only person in this city who doesn't just do whatevs, whenevs?" Have you ever been in her shoes, overwhelmed by anomie? That is, have you ever felt like you're the only one who's following a moral compass? If so, talk about when and why. If not, talk about how Kimmy could fight back against that sense of anomie. If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is "Subject Line Crosswords." We'll revisit some of the email subject lines from 2019 issues, using them as a tool for recall. Each day this month, see if you can complete the mini-crossword with words we studied last year. If you need extra clues, look below the puzzle to view definitions and parts of speech. And I'll share the answers in the following issue. Enjoy! From the previous issue: Extra clues: ACROSS 2. adjective meaning "always getting into debates or arguments, even over issues that don't matter" 3. adjective meaning "totally unaware of what's happening right around you" DOWN 1. verb meaning "to put something into someone's mind or heart little by little, again and again for a long time, as if you're putting it in one drop at a time" Answers: If you like, you can review the words disputatious, oblivious, and instill. Try this today:  Extra clues: ACROSS 2. noun meaning "someone who makes a loud, showy display to fool people, often to take their money" 3. noun meaning "bragging that's extremely exaggerated" DOWN 1. verb meaning "to become slower, looser, weaker, or less strict" review this word: 1. A near opposite of ANOMIC is A. WELL-MADE. B. WELL-REFINED. C. WELL-REGIMENTED. 2. In the words of Durkheim's translators, anomic suicide results from "man's activity's lacking _____ and his consequent sufferings." A. joy B. leisure C. regulation 1. C 2. C a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.