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View synonyms for Weltschmerz

Weltschmerz

or welt·schmerz

[ velt-shmerts ]

noun

, German.
  1. sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life; sentimental pessimism.


Weltschmerz

/ ˈvɛltʃmɛrts /

noun

  1. sadness or melancholy at the evils of the world; world-weariness
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Weltschmerz1

First recorded in 1860–65; literally, “world-pain,” from Welt world ( def ) + Schmerz “pain”; smart ( def ) (in the sense “pain”)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Weltschmerz1

literally: world pain
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Example Sentences

Some are not easily translatable between languages: Germans use “Weltschmerz” to refer to a feeling of melancholy caused by the state of the world.

Many of Untitled Goose Game’s relatively young players are, it seems fair to assume, suffering from a sense of Weltschmerz.

With its impressionistic opening giving way to sweeping melodies, the work has an appealing throwback glamour with touches of Mahlerian Weltschmerz and just a hint of jazzy swing.

Her expression remains neutral even when touching on incendiary topics such as police brutality or when answering obtuse questions from white people as though to indicate a certain Weltschmerz.

From Salon

“I’m not into the mood of Weltschmerz,” he says, using the German word for world weariness that describes how many are feeling these days.

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