niksen

Language: Dutch · [ˈnɪksən] · Pronunciation: NIK-sen

Meaning

doing nothing, deliberately — idling as a pastime

The story

Dutch turned niks, nothing, into a verb: to niksen is to sit there and let the ceiling do the entertaining. Around 2019 the foreign lifestyle press discovered it and sold it back as wellness. The Dutch were baffled to learn they had a practice; they thought they were loafing.

The four rounds

Which language is it from?

Dutch

What kind of word is it?

A verb

Where would you hear it?

On the sofa, staring at the ceiling

What does it mean?

Doing nothing at all, on purpose

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2026-09-13 · ‹ Previous word · All words