zeitgeist

noun

zeit·​geist ˈtsīt-ˌgīst  ˈzīt- 

often capitalized

: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

Did you know?

Scholars have long maintained that each era has a unique spirit, a nature or climate that sets it apart from all others. In German, such a spirit is known as Zeitgeist, from the German words Zeit, meaning "time," and Geist, meaning "spirit" or "ghost." (This same Geist, when combined with poltern, meaning "to knock," led to the English word poltergeist referring to a noisy ghost.) It is common nowadays to read about something "tapping into" or "capturing" the zeitgeist, as doing so often entails popularity or profitability in appealing to a great many people, though sometimes the zeitgeist of a particular time and place is only recognized in hindsight, either due to nostalgia or with the benefit of (one hopes) greater wisdom.

Examples of zeitgeist in a Sentence

His songs perfectly captured the zeitgeist of 1960s America.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Traitors is arguably the BBC’s breakout watercooler hit of this decade, watched by millions each night and having an outsized impact on the cultural zeitgeist. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 May 2025

Von Dutch is tapping into the zeitgeist with a new Gen Z–focused brand. —Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 7 May 2025

On social media, Trump administration accounts have employed provocative tactics — often on immigration — to tap into the zeitgeist of those platforms and get reach and reaction. —Neal Rothschild, Axios, 4 May 2025

It’s got a just-fine 79% critic score and a 77% audience score and was not exactly impactful in the cultural zeitgeist. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German, from Zeit + Geist spirit

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for zeitgeist

• enticed
• sufficed
• antichrist
• overpriced
• poltergeist
• sacrificed
• diced
• feist
• heist
• iced
• lysed
• priced

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