bildungsroman

noun

bil·​dungs·​ro·​man ˈbil-du̇ŋ(k)s-rō-ˌmän How to pronounce bildungsroman (audio)
-du̇ŋz-
literature : a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character
a bildungsroman by Charles Dickens

Did you know?

Bildungsroman is the combination of two German nouns: Bildung, meaning "education," and Roman, meaning "novel." (Nouns in German are always capitalized.) Fittingly, a bildungsroman is a novel that deals with the formative years of the main character, and in particular, with the character's psychological development and moral education. The bildungsroman usually ends on a positive note, with the protagonist's foolish mistakes and painful disappointments over, and a life of usefulness ahead. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's late 18th-century work Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship is often cited as the classic example of a bildungsroman. Though the term is primarily applied to novels, in recent years some English speakers have begun to apply it to films that deal with a youthful character's coming-of-age.

Examples of bildungsroman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Stephen suggests a post about Hesse’s bildungsroman Demian, too. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024 The movie gets a little baggy here and there, and the running time of just under two-and-a-half hours could use some pruning, though the length is obviously in keeping with the bildungsroman on which it’s based. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Yet as with most good coming-of-age stories, the hero in Erdogan’s bildungsroman has another character trait: vulnerability. Kaya Genc, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019 This is, in many ways, a classic bildungsroman swathed in an even more conventional romantic comedy. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bildungsroman 

Word History

Etymology

German, from Bildung education + Roman novel

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bildungsroman was in 1906

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near bildungsroman

Cite this Entry

“Bildungsroman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bildungsroman. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on bildungsroman

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!