Schadenfreude
English meaning: Pleasure derived from others' misfortune
German Definition
(Deutsch)Das Gefühl der Freude oder Befriedigung beim Anblick der Schwierigkeiten, Misserfolge oder Demütigungen anderer.
English Definition
The feeling of joy or satisfaction when witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of others. The word, uniquely German, has been adopted into English and many other languages because no equivalent term exists. It reflects psychological observations about human nature and social comparison, and is studied in psychology and moral philosophy.
Example
“Schadenfreude ist ein menschliches Gefühl, das in der Psychologie intensiv untersucht wird.”
In English: “Schadenfreude is a human feeling that is intensively studied in psychology.”
Antonyms / Opposites
- Mitgefühl
- Empathie
Literary Heritage
“Unglücklich das Land, das keine Helden hat! Nein. Unglücklich das Land, das Helden nötig hat.”
“Unhappy the land that has no heroes! No. Unhappy the land that needs heroes.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- Deutsch
- German
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Germanic
- Speakers
- 135M