zeitgeist

[tsahyt-, zahyt-gahyst]

noun

1. Sometimes Zeitgeist the spirit of the time; the general trend of thought, feeling, or tastes characteristic of a particular period of time.

   It’s one of those iconic novels that represents the zeitgeist of the mid-1990s so perfectly that reading it provides the ideal dose of nostalgia.

zeitgeist

/ ˈzaɪtˌɡaɪst /

noun

1. the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, esp as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc

Zeitgeist

1. The general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era; Zeitgeist is German for “time-spirit.” For example, the Zeitgeist of England in the Victorian period included a belief in industrial progress, and the Zeitgeist of the 1980s in the United States was a belief in the power of money and the many ways in which to spend it.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zeitgeist¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from German Zeitgeist, equivalent to Zeit “time, age, epoch” + Geist “spirit, mind, intellect”; tide ¹ ( def. ), ghost ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of zeitgeist¹

C20: from German, literally: time spirit; see _tide ¹ , _ghost

Example Sentences

Another prediction of his that really illustrates the new zeitgeist, is the call for corporate bond yields to fall below government yields within the next 12 months, which would be a marker of the weakness of the U.S. balance sheet but also the power of America’s largest companies.

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With horror dominating both the box office and the larger zeitgeist year-round, the genre has long since graduated from the days of seasonal Halloween releases and studios dumping their frightful flops into theaters in January to die a quick death during the post-holiday slow season.

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A drinks group taking advantage of consumer lifestyle changes can tweak its offerings to meet the new, healthier zeitgeist.

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The emergence of “wellness” and “self-care” as beauty buzz phrases has been key to capturing the zeitgeist: many creators of butt-specific skincare capitalize on past erasure and marginalization to frame their products as defiant and reclamatory.

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Were there any specific moments in the zeitgeist over the last decade that you felt people weren’t talking about enough that sparked this idea?

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When To Use

What does zeitgeist mean?

The zeitgeist is the collective attitude or outlook of people or a culture at a specific point in time.Zeitgeist can be used in discussion of the current moment, a narrow period of time  in the past, or a broader period or era. Literature and other media are sometimes said to express the Zeitgeist of the time they were created in or of a past period of time. The word is capitalized in its original language, German, and is sometimes capitalized in English (Zeitgeist).Example: The zeitgeist at the time was a feeling that anything was possible.