Word of the Year/Sign of the Times?

It seems to me that every once in a while a word will all of the sudden become popular and used all over the place. I have noticed this before but never thought long enough about if there was a connection.

Now I am wondering...

ennui (it's French, so don't even attempt to pronounce it like it is spelled)

I feel like this word has permeated our culture. But is it just the use word, or does it have a deeper meaning in describing the current state of the world, the sign of our times.