Don’t know the word jaded’s meaning? Learn more about why it’s relevant in the modern world, how to spot it, and how to use it in a sentence today!
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Kevin
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January 13, 2022
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Many people are jaded in the world today. It’s a fairly common emotion that can often be very self-defeating and unhelpful. Knowing what being jaded means can help people understand their situations better and get into a better place in life.
Today, we’re covering what this word means, where the word comes from, and how to be less jaded! It’s not always easy to reclaim the spark of life, but doing so can significantly increase your quality of life and ability to find joy in the small things.
What Does Jaded Mean?
Most English dictionaries define jaded (jad·ed) as an adjective that describes someone tired, bored, and exhibiting a lack of interest in something after overindulgence or excess exposure. Often, a jaded attitude comes from an extended period of overwork or overuse from a place or person that a jaded person used to deeply enjoy. It is a very similar concept to the idea of burnout, which has become more and more prevalent over the past decades due to increasing workloads in the modern world.
Jaded is also occasionally used to describe abuse in homes and workplaces. It is most commonly used when a person has been so overworked that it becomes abusive.
Additionally, jaded can be used to describe decorative ornaments or pieces of jewelry that have been entrusted with the gems nephrite, jade, or jadeite. While many of us won’t hear this used daily, it is still common amongst many jewelers, fashionistas, and gemologists.
What Is the Etymology of the Word Jaded?
The origin of the word jaded is found in old English. It was a term used to describe an overworked horse or mare. When farming was mainly based on animal labor, many farmers would unintentionally overwork their animals to the point where they were exhausted and less productive.
Regarding its usage as a term describing abuse, jaded dates all the way back to 1560. This was a familiar feeling for people who worked performing manual labor. Even though they knew they would likely not survive without working, getting jaded after several years of being overworked was still very common.
The word jaded slowly transitioned from this meaning to its current usage. Although its definition has largely stayed the same, its practical implications and connotations are constantly changing.
What Does Being Jaded Look Like?
When an employee or worker has put many years of work into their place of work, they can become jaded by their daily tasks. People can also become jaded if their leadership teams have been overworking them for an extended period of time. High-stress situations like periods of controversy and diminished work can also leave a person feeling jaded and exhausted.
When someone is jaded, they will likely have a much lower quality and quantity of output. This is because the feelings they associate with success and accomplishment are diminished by the negative emotions they have started to experience. Old victories lose their draw, and they stop trying as hard to achieve things that may have once been stimulating.
Recovering from being jaded can be difficult, and it often requires a temporary removal from the place or people that have created these negative feelings. When the person is removed, they will likely start to feel a lot better and be better suited for upcoming challenges.
Examples of the Word Jaded in a Sentence
As jadedness is becoming more and more widespread, it’s critical to know how to use the term in a way that will accurately describe how someone feels.
Here are some excellent examples to help you to use it properly:
- The music exec’s experiences with that failing band have made him feel jaded over the past few years.
- All of these political scandals are making me feel jaded about American heritage in general.
- I used to have an incredible appetite for martial arts that required the use of swords and wooden shields, but lately, I’ve been feeling jaded toward them.
- The renowned English professor at Princeton University was feeling jaded after three decades of teaching the same classes, saying the same daily word facts, and grading the same quizzes.
- After six months of the nonstop hustle and bustle in the inner city, the police officer was starting to feel jaded.
- I used to be addicted to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms, but I’ve been feeling very jaded by them lately.
- She cracked a bit of a smile, but I could see that underneath, she was jaded by the idea of reading a new page of the English dictionary each day.
- While it used to be super exciting, I could tell that this whole summer of backyard play was starting to make the kids jaded, even with their new magic wands.
- Even though architecture and construction used to be his primary passion in life, he said that he was too jaded by the practice to build another random house in the forest.
- He said he was just tired, but I could tell that that was the wrong word — he was definitely jaded by his job.
Now that you know the many meanings of the word jaded, you can use it in your everyday life!
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