weltschmerz

noun

welt·​schmerz ˈvelt-ˌshmerts 

often capitalized

1

: mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state

2

: a mood of sentimental sadness

Did you know?

The word weltschmerz initially came into being as a by-product of the European Romanticism movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A combining of the German words for "world" (Welt) and "pain" (Schmerz), weltschmerz aptly captures the melancholy and pessimism that often characterized the artistic expressions of the era. The term was used in German by the Romantic author Jean Paul (pseudonym of Johann Paul Friedrich Richter) in his 1827 novel Selina, but it wasn't adopted into English until the middle of the 19th century.

Examples of weltschmerz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The doctor suspected ennui, which in some cases can turn into weltschmerz. —Star Tribune, 16 May 2021

The Germans gave us schadenfreude, or experiencing pleasure in the misfortune of others, and my personal favorite: weltschmerz. —John Warner, chicagotribune.com, 28 Mar. 2018

As in the original, the orchestra (fluidly led, as usual, by Rob Berman) is visibly perched above the action, pouring out weltschmerz-laden melodies that flow like a thick, high-proof dessert wine. —Ben Brantley, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2018

Schuman’s bildungsromanchannels the weltschmerz of a former wunderkind rejected by the professoriat and exiled to the creative lumpenproletariat. —Gabriel Roth, Slate Magazine, 16 Feb. 2017

Word History

Etymology

German, from Welt world + Schmerz pain

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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