Daily word
Sonder
SAHN-der noun
The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.
Example
Waiting at the station, she felt a sudden sonder for the crowd around her.
Use it when
Use sonder for reflective writing about empathy, strangers, cities, and inner lives.
Etymology
A modern coined word popularized by The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.
Memory cue
Picture a stranger's story opening like a novel you will never fully read.
Related words
Save words like this
Wordwell is built to help you discover, understand, save, and remember better words through a daily ritual.
Download Wordwell