Make Your Point > Archived Issues > JADED

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: If you're jaded (and I hope you aren't!), you're bored, tired of life, exhausted by its monotony, and unable to feel joy for what you have--or even unable to feel sorrow for what you don't have. The word jaded originally meant "fatigued or worn out," and it comes from the noun jade, an insulting term for a worn-out old horse. (We're not sure where that word came from, but it seems unrelated to the other jade: the mineral or the shade of green.) So, speaking of worn-out old horses, see if you can recall an adjective that means "trotted out many times before, like a worn-out horse: common, overdone, boring, and unimpressive." That word is h_____ed.  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "JADED" When people or things jade, they become dull, weary, and exhausted. And to jade people or things is to make them work too hard for too long, which makes them dull, weary, and exhausted. So, if you're jaded, you're feeling dull, weary, exhausted, and unable to really care anymore, usually because you've been doing or experiencing the same things for way too long. Pronunciation: JAY did Part of speech: Adjective: "a jaded perspective," "she was jaded." Other forms: jadedly, jadedness  How to use it: Talk about jaded people and their jaded views, thoughts, perspectives, personalities, feelings, hearts, faces, expressions, gestures, comments, etc. Even though we rarely use the verb "jade" in the active voice (as in "it jaded her" or "the world has jaded him"), we do often use the passive voice and talk about people being (or getting) jaded by something: "the students are jaded by months of dull preparation for exams," "he was getting jaded by all these rejection letters." These days, when we use this word, we're usually saying that people are jaded by bad things and experiences, but people can also become jaded by relatively good things, like an overabundance of luxuries. Though we often say people are jaded by something, we can also say they're jaded about some sphere or topic: "he's jaded about politics these days," "she's still jaded about romance in general." examples: In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch's jaded heart is revived when he hears joyful singing even after the food and the gifts are stripped away.  "Perhaps you, too, are beginning to get jaded by the endless stream of best-dressed lists, the fawning adjectives dripping in brand names."    — Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times, 30 January 2019 study it: Explain the meaning of "jaded" without saying "weary of everything" or "exhausted with life." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "Jaded by _____, (someone) no longer (hopes, thinks, or believes) that _____." Example: "Jaded by years of interactions with rude customers, she no longer believes that common decency is common." before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. Tidbits and Titles! I provide the tidbits; you provide the title. From our previous issue: Here's a quote from a novel: "The whole world is now for me divided into two halves: one half is she, and there all is joy, hope, light: the other half is everything where she is not, and there is all gloom and darkness..." And here are some terms and phrases that often appear in that novel: aide-de-camp, battle, Countess, dear, drawing room, Emperor, fire, laughing, Moscow, Prince, silent, Tsar, waiting. What's the novel's title? Answer: War and Peace. Try this today: Here's a quote from a novel: "There was something magical about an island—the mere word suggested fantasy. You lost touch with the world—an island was a world of its own. A world, perhaps, from which you might never return." And here are some terms and phrases that often appear in that novel: accused, afraid, breakfast, death, dining-room, glass, gramophone record, Harley Street, killed, little china figures, revolver, suppose, window. What's the novel's title? review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of JADED is UNJADED. But a close opposite of JADED is A. NAIVE. B. DERISIVE. C. CLOSE-MINDED. 2. Assaulted by another car commercial full of pounding music, wealthy men, and impossibly beautiful women, jaded viewers _____. A. laugh lightly B. roll their eyes C. consider buying Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's 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. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B