seek-sorrow noun [シーク・ソロー]

Definition: A person who habitually creates or invites their own misery; a self-tormentor who cultivates unnecessary anxieties or vexations.

Extended sense: Someone who magnifies small troubles, goes looking for reasons to be upset, or repeatedly places themselves in situations that will obviously distress them.

Etymology: Formed from seek plus sorrow. The literal meaning is someone who goes looking for sorrow. The structure resembles older English compounds such as killjoy and do-gooder.

Example sentences:

She is such a seek-sorrow that she can turn a normal day into a catastrophe.

Being a seek-sorrow online is easy; being grateful takes effort.

Synonyms: self-tormentor, worrywart, catastrophizer, pessimist Antonyms: stoic, optimist, carefree spirit