тоска

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melancholy, longing, anguish, boredom, tedium
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Russian
/tɐˈska/
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A heavy sadness with longing, and in everyday speech a dreary boredom or something that feels painfully dull.
Practice using this word in conversation

Examples

  • В пустом посёлке зимой стояла зелёная тоска.
    In winter the empty settlement was filled with hopeless boredom.
  • Не праздник, а тоска получилась.
    It turned into a dull affair, not a celebration.
  • От однообразной работы на всех напала тоска.
    The monotonous work filled everyone with tedium.
  • Этот сериал оказался сплошной тоской.
    That series turned out to be pure boredom.
  • Старый зал без окон был настоящей тоской.
    The old windowless hall was a real dreary place.

Similar words

нудятина
занудство
кручина
печаль
скукота
уныние
тревога
подавленность
меланхолия
тягомотина

Meanings

Heavy sadness and longing

noun
emotion
neutral
A deep, oppressive sadness that may include anxiety, yearning, homesickness, or an ache without a clear cause.

Usage

Use тоска when sadness feels heavy and inward, especially with longing for home, a person, the past, or something hard to name.

Examples

  • После отъезда сына мать долго не могла унять тоску.
    After her son left, the mother could not calm her melancholy for a long time.
  • В письмах звучала тоска по дому.
    The letters carried a longing for home.
  • К вечеру на него навалилась тяжёлая тоска.
    By evening a heavy anguish settled on him.
  • Он говорил с тоской о прошедших годах.
    He spoke with sad longing about the past years.
  • Музыка только усилила его тоску.
    The music only deepened his melancholy.

Common mistakes

The genitive after от and the preposition по are often chosen wrongly.
IncorrectCorrect
Она страдала от тоска. Она страдала от тоски.
У него тоска к родине. У него тоска по родине.
Он тоска по дому. Он тоскует по дому.
Лёгкая досада это тоска. Лёгкая досада это не тоска.

Similar words

уныние
меланхолия
печаль
грусть
тревога
кручина
подавленность

Dreary boredom

noun
mood
informal
A dull, oppressive boredom, often in a place or situation that feels empty, monotonous, or lifeless.

Usage

Use тоска in colloquial Russian when boredom feels bleak and draining, not merely when something is mildly uninteresting.

Examples

  • В пустом посёлке зимой стояла зелёная тоска.
    In winter the empty settlement was filled with hopeless boredom.
  • От однообразной работы на всех напала тоска.
    The monotonous work filled everyone with tedium.
  • На даче без книг и людей началась тоска.
    At the dacha without books or people, dreary boredom set in.
  • Лекция тянулась долго и нагоняла тоску.
    The lecture dragged on and brought on boredom.
  • В комнате царила сонная тоска.
    A sleepy dreariness filled the room.

Common mistakes

The noun is often forced where the adjective or verb would sound natural.
IncorrectCorrect
Мне тоска сидеть дома. Мне тоскливо сидеть дома.
Лекция была тоску. Лекция нагоняла тоску.
Мы тоска весь вечер. Мы скучали весь вечер.
Весёлая вечеринка навела тоску. Скучная вечеринка навела тоску.

Similar words

скука
уныние
нудность
скукота
тягомотина

A dull thing

noun
evaluation
informal
Something judged as painfully boring, dreary, or lifeless.

Usage

Use тоска as an informal judgment of a book, event, place, or task that feels dull from start to finish.

Examples

  • Этот сериал оказался сплошной тоской.
    That series turned out to be pure boredom.
  • Слушать их спор было одна тоска.
    Listening to their argument was nothing but a bore.
  • Старый зал без окон был настоящей тоской.
    The old windowless hall was a real dreary place.
  • Для детей такая экскурсия была чистой тоской.
    For the children that tour was sheer tedium.
  • Не праздник, а тоска получилась.
    It turned into a dull affair, not a celebration.

Common mistakes

The evaluative sense is colloquial and should not be treated like the emotional state.
IncorrectCorrect
Эта книга чувствует тоску. Эта книга наводит тоску.
Доклад был с тоской. Доклад был сплошной тоской.
Парк испытывал тоску. Парк был настоящей тоской.
Весёлый концерт был тоской. Скучный концерт был тоской.

Similar words

скука
скукота
нудятина
тягомотина
занудство

Usage

Use тоска for a weighty inner sadness or longing, and in colloquial Russian for dreary boredom or a thing that feels dull.

Common mistakes

Treating тоска as only poetic longing misses its plain colloquial use for boredom and dullness.

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic and related to forms across Slavic languages for tightness, anguish, and longing. The exact earlier root is uncertain.

FAQ

What does тоска mean?

Тоска usually means heavy sadness, anguish, or longing, and colloquially it can mean boredom or a dull thing.

Is тоска always untranslatable?

No. It can be hard to translate in literary contexts, but ordinary equivalents include melancholy, longing, boredom, and a bore.

How is тоска different from печаль?

Печаль is general sadness, while тоска feels heavier and often carries anxiety, longing, or oppressive boredom.

Can тоска mean boredom?

Yes. Phrases such as зелёная тоска and наводить тоску use it for dreary boredom or tedium.

What case follows от with тоска?

After от, the genitive form is used, so от тоски is correct.

What is a common Russian expression with тоска?

Тоска по дому means homesickness or longing for home.

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