--- product_id: 279887521 title: "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" price: "€ 38.20" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/279887521-the-dictionary-of-obscure-sorrows store_origin: SK region: Slovakia --- # The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows **Price:** € 38.20 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - **How much does it cost?** € 38.20 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/279887521-the-dictionary-of-obscure-sorrows) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “It’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book. “ —The Washington Post A truly original book in every sense of the word, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express—until now. Have you ever wondered about the lives of each person you pass on the street, realizing that everyone is the main character in their own story, each living a life as vivid and complex as your own? That feeling has a name: “sonder.” Or maybe you’ve watched a thunderstorm roll in and felt a primal hunger for disaster, hoping it would shake up your life. That’s called “lachesism.” Or you were looking through old photos and felt a pang of nostalgia for a time you’ve never actually experienced. That’s “anemoia.” If you’ve never heard of these terms before, that’s because they didn’t exist until John Koenig set out to fill the gaps in our language of emotion. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows “creates beautiful new words that we need but do not yet have,” says John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars. By turns poignant, relatable, and mind-bending, the definitions include whimsical etymologies drawn from languages around the world, interspersed with otherworldly collages and lyrical essays that explore forgotten corners of the human condition—from “astrophe,” the longing to explore beyond the planet Earth, to “zenosyne,” the sense that time keeps getting faster. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is for anyone who enjoys a shift in perspective, pondering the ineffable feelings that make up our lives. With a gorgeous package and beautiful illustrations throughout, this is the perfect gift for creatives, word nerds, and human beings everywhere. Review: A must-have reference for poets, writers, logophiles. - Got this for Christmas, although for some reason, it was delayed. No matter, it was well worth the wait. I confess I haven't "finished it" because it is a dictionary of sorts, and I keep in the bathroom to read a bit at a time. Who cares. Move on. Physically, the book is beautiful, feels good in the hand, and is visually appealing, in a sort of well, in an alternate universe, this book could have magic and power. It should hum or have fairy sparks coming from it. It does have power, truly. This is a dictionary of words that don't exist but should, to describe the feeling of certain moments like looking wistfully out a windowpane that is dripping with rain. The words are carefully constructed, often with Latin roots, such that they SHOULD exist, and well, now they do. I think the title may be a bit misleading. This is not a volume designed to make one despair, to get the hankies out and boo-hoo along with the saddest songs one can think of. Rather, it is a poetic journey through fleeting moments and recognitions. For example: Echthesia: noun A state of confusion when your own internal sense of time doesn't seem to match the calendar--knowing that something just happened though it apparently took place seven years ago; or that you somehow built up decades of memories in the span of a year and a half. I sure have this and am delighted to have it put to words. I assumed my woogie sense of time was either early onset Alzheimer's or a byproduct of being the child of alcoholics. There's hope, then. Wildly creative and wise, these new words rearrange my brain a bit and make me yearn to write poetry. Unfortunately, to date, I don't seem to demonstrate an ability for same, but this would surely help. Poets? Writers? Dreamers? Bibliophiles? You need this dictionary. Ha-ha, pun intended, take not mine, but Mr. Koening's word for it! Review: Stimulates my mind - I have been delighted with this book. The thoughts and feeling that the words invoke, keep me reading. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #5,476 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Lexicography #2 in Quotation Reference Books #3 in Word Lists | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,675 Reviews | ## Images ![The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GIGI4sJIL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must-have reference for poets, writers, logophiles. *by J***R on February 8, 2022* Got this for Christmas, although for some reason, it was delayed. No matter, it was well worth the wait. I confess I haven't "finished it" because it is a dictionary of sorts, and I keep in the bathroom to read a bit at a time. Who cares. Move on. Physically, the book is beautiful, feels good in the hand, and is visually appealing, in a sort of well, in an alternate universe, this book could have magic and power. It should hum or have fairy sparks coming from it. It does have power, truly. This is a dictionary of words that don't exist but should, to describe the feeling of certain moments like looking wistfully out a windowpane that is dripping with rain. The words are carefully constructed, often with Latin roots, such that they SHOULD exist, and well, now they do. I think the title may be a bit misleading. This is not a volume designed to make one despair, to get the hankies out and boo-hoo along with the saddest songs one can think of. Rather, it is a poetic journey through fleeting moments and recognitions. For example: Echthesia: noun A state of confusion when your own internal sense of time doesn't seem to match the calendar--knowing that something just happened though it apparently took place seven years ago; or that you somehow built up decades of memories in the span of a year and a half. I sure have this and am delighted to have it put to words. I assumed my woogie sense of time was either early onset Alzheimer's or a byproduct of being the child of alcoholics. There's hope, then. Wildly creative and wise, these new words rearrange my brain a bit and make me yearn to write poetry. Unfortunately, to date, I don't seem to demonstrate an ability for same, but this would surely help. Poets? Writers? Dreamers? Bibliophiles? You need this dictionary. Ha-ha, pun intended, take not mine, but Mr. Koening's word for it! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stimulates my mind *by S***A on March 31, 2026* I have been delighted with this book. The thoughts and feeling that the words invoke, keep me reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Putting words to feelings both collective and highly intimate at the same time... is powerful *by T***R on October 21, 2025* In days (20 October 2025), it'll be 11 yrs since John Koenig uploaded 'Sonder' on YT (26 October 2014) -- the first of his works I'd seen. There's a gravity to describing the voiceless but profound truths constantly around us. John's eloquently been collecting these insights over a decade now... and each entry deserves its own moment of silence... to ponder, feel the depth, to reflect on realisation it's been a hazy part of you only now coming into focus, with a name. Buying the Kindle version, have had a reference at my fingertips. Oddly reassuring, to refer by name, emotions that for decades to millions of years, were nameless. Like a shield against an all-enveloping dark, our purpose is to light a little. Easy five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ## Frequently Bought Together - The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - Dictionary of Fine Distinctions: Nuances, Niceties, and Subtle Shades of Meaning - Dictionary of the Rare, Creative, and Beautiful: Words for Writers, Poets & Dreamers --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/279887521-the-dictionary-of-obscure-sorrows](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/279887521-the-dictionary-of-obscure-sorrows) --- *Product available on Desertcart Slovakia* *Store origin: SK* *Last updated: 2026-05-22*