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Weltschmerz: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Weltschmerz noun. A gentle sadness at the gap between the world as it is and as it ought to be.
How to say it
VELT-shmairts/ˈvɛltʃmɛːts/
2 syllables, stressed on the first (VELT).
Weltschmerz in a sentence
Teenage weltschmerz, all black clothes and Radiohead, struck him at fifteen.
A week of bad news can leave even optimists with a touch of weltschmerz.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- world-weariness
- melancholy
- pessimism
- ennui
Opposite:
- optimism
Where weltschmerz comes from
German for world pain, from Welt, world, and Schmerz, pain.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
A week of bad news can leave even optimists with a touch of _____.
- carte blanche
- faux pas
- weltschmerz
Show the answer
weltschmerz: A week of bad news can leave even optimists with a touch of weltschmerz.