Dictionary

sian en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /sjɛn˨/ (Singapore)

Etymology

From Hokkien 𤺪 (siān).

Meanings

1. (Singapore, Singlish, colloquial) Bored, weary or fed up; tired (of something).
   • [Y]ou know you’re not the only one around who is bored and sian and tired of being bored and sian. 2006 October 3, Serene Luo, The Straits Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, →OCLC, section 3:
   • “In a country where aspiration drives so much of who we are and what we want, it’s particularly sian to feel stuck,” he suggested. 2021 May 8, Sophie Chew, “I’m Sian. You’re Sian. We’re All So Damn Sian. But That’s Okay”, in ricemedia.co, archived from the original on 08 May 2021:
2. (Singapore, Singlish, colloquial) Repetitive and boring, wearisome.
   • — Sian. Fucking sian. — Complain less. You bite that pencil anymore next time got termites inside you. 1997, Dave Chua, Gone Case, Ethos Books, →ISBN:

Forms