zeitgeist

noun

zeit·​geist ˈtsīt-ˌgīst  ˈzīt- 

variants often Zeitgeist

: 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

And there’s a risk of consumer fatigue in trying to keep it in the zeitgeist for two years. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

This whole conversation around affordability, writ large, does seem to be really essentially affecting the zeitgeist around how cities develop, what a good life looks like. —Fortune Editors, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025

The myth of Revere, the individual hero, the consummate voice of warning rising up against the odds, has become ingrained in the American zeitgeist, twisting its way through social movements, pop songs and marketing campaigns for more than a century. —Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025

The video that really launched us into the zeitgeist was our very first video. —David Zucker, Deadline, 10 Nov. 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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!