Sonder/ ˈsɒn dər/ noun
1. The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own
As humans, we are often so caught up in their own lives that we don't realise everyone around them is living a life just as complex and layered.
Be it a stranger sitting next to you, a person you pass on the street, or faces you barely notice in a crowd, each one carries their own ambitions, anxieties, routines, relationships, and memories.
And believe it or not, this feeling has a word: 'sonder'.
What does it mean?
As per Cambridge dictionary's definition, "the strong feeling of realizing that every person you see has their own life story in which they are the most important person: Sonder can encourage compassion. Sonder can have a profound impact on our wellbeing."
Where does it come from?
The word was coined by writer John Koenig around the year 2102, as part of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a project that names emotions we all experience but rarely articulate. Though not traditionally rooted in classical languages, sonder has found a strong place in contemporary vocabulary.
How can you use it?
ing the city from a window, she felt a quiet sense of sonder.
A long train journey often brings moments of sonder.
In a fast-paced world where people are reduced to profiles, labels, or fleeting impressions, sonder offers a moment of perspective. It reminds us that everyone we encounter is the centre of their own story, just like we are of ours.