Nudnicks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals regarded as dull, boring, or slow-witted people lacking liveliness or intelligence
2. Persons considered uninteresting, tedious, or lacking mental sharpness who often cause annoyance through their dullness
3. Characters described as dullards or simpletons, exhibiting a lack of enthusiasm, cleverness, or stimulating conversation

Etymology: "Nudnicks" is simply the plural of "nudnick," a noun for a tedious, dull person whose company wears people down. The singular is the base form, and it is the one that carries the etymological story, borrowed into English from Yiddish, where "nudnik" and its variants are the source of the English spelling. Because the source here gives only the plural relationship, the plural's history is the same as the singular's: a single word that English took over and pluralized with the ordinary "-s."

Synonyms: nuisances, pests, annoyances, bothers, irritants

Antonyms: delights, pleasures, enjoyments