Weltschmerz

See also: weltschmerz

German

Etymology

Welt (“world”) +‎ Schmerz (“smart, pain”)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvɛltˌʃmɛʁts/, [ˈvɛltˌʃmɛʁt͡s], [-ˌʃmɛɐ̯t͡s]

Noun

Weltschmerz m (genitive Weltschmerzes, no plural)

  1. world-weariness; weltschmerz (profound depression regarding the human condition or the state of the world)
    Mein Weltschmerz entspringt aus dem Vergleich zwischen dem Guten, das der Mensch wirken kann, und dem Bösen, das er zu wirken pflegt.
    My weltschmerz originates from a comparison between the good that man can do, and the evil that he is in the habit of doing.
  2. (informal, often humorous) causeless sadness; undue self-pity
    Jetzt mal Schluss mit dem Weltschmerz!
    Now stop pitying yourself!

Declension

Descendants

Further reading

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.