schadenfreude
/ˈʃɑː.dənˌfɹɔɪ.də/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.43 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "But it is Schadenfreude, a mischievous delight in the misfortunes of others, which remains the worst trait in human nature."
- "In a 2012 study, Dr. Chambliss and her colleagues examined freudenfreude and schadenfreude scores among college students, some of whom were experiencing mild depression and some who weren’t. Freudenfreude scores were higher, and schadenfreude scores were lower, among those who were not depressed."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *skaþô Proto-West Germanic *skaþō Old High German skado Middle High German schade German Schaden Proto-Indo-European *prew-der. Proto-Germanic *frawazder. Proto-Germanic *frawiþō Old High German frewida Middle High German vröude German Freude German Schadenfreudeubor. English schadenfreude An unadapted borrowing from German Schadenfreude (“joy in the misfortune of others”), from Schaden (“damage, misfortune”) + Freude (“joy”). The word gained popularity in English in the late 20th c. and likely entered mainstream usage through an episode of The Simpsons (more in citations).