Learn Turkish: Karamsarlık ve sıkıntı projeyi mahvetti. - Pessimism and boredom ruined the project.

It comes from the adjective karamsar (pessimistic), which takes the noun-forming suffix -lık to become karamsarlık (pessimism). The adjective itself is built on the word kara, meaning black or dark.

Why is mahvetti written as one connected word instead of two?

It is a compound verb made from the noun mahiv (ruin) and the auxiliary verb etmek (to do). When combined, the narrow vowel "i" in mahiv drops out. In Turkish, when a compound verb with etmek or olmak undergoes a sound change like this vowel drop, the two parts must be written together as one word.

Why is there a -yi at the end of proje?

Proje is the direct object receiving the action of the verb mahvetti. Because the sentence is about ruining a specific project ("the project"), it requires the definite accusative case. Since proje ends in a vowel, it takes the buffer letter -y- before the accusative suffix -i.

Can sıkıntı mean things other than "boredom"?

Yes, sıkıntı is a highly versatile word. While it means "boredom" or "tedium" in this context, it is very commonly used to mean "trouble," "distress," "problem," or "stress." For example, the common phrase sıkıntı yok means "no problem" or "no worries."