schadenfreude \SHAH-dun-froy-duh\ noun, often capitalized
: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others
Example sentence: "There is simply no higher level of schadenfreude than when the rich or famous stumble." (John Gonzalez, _Boston Magazine_, August 2005)
Did you know? "Schadenfreude" is a compound of the German nouns "Schaden," meaning "damage" or "harm," and "Freude," meaning "joy," so it makes sense that "schadenfreude" means joy over some harm or misfortune suffered by another. "What a fearful thing is it that any language should have a word expressive of the pleasure which men feel at the calamities of others," wrote Richard Trench of Dublin, an archbishop with literary predilections, of the German "Schadenfreude" in 1852; perhaps it was just as well he didn't live to see the word embraced by English speakers before the century was out.
2 comments:
weltschmerz is also good.
those crafty Germans. Compound words (of which English, too, is still capable) are the coolest.
Good to hear from you again, Professor.
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