wabi-sabi

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese わび・さび or 侘・寂 (wabi-sabi).

Noun

wabi-sabi (uncountable)

1. A Japanese aesthetic that derives from imperfection and transience.
   • 2021, Jenni Fagan, Luckenbooth, William Heinemann, page 265:

     If Dot were to pick an ideology, hers would be wabi-sabi. Her life is full of decay and beauty in imperfection.