1890–95; < German, equivalent to Schaden harm + Freude joy
When another person's bad luck secretly makes you feel good, that's schadenfreude. Your brother's rejection from a college that also rejected you might give you a twinge of schadenfreude. If you're fired from your difficult job, no one can blame you for a bit of schadenfreude as you watch your replacement struggle with your old tasks. This German word perfectly captures that satisfied feeling everyone gets at times when someone else runs into misfortune. In German, Schadenfreude literally means "damage-joy," and it's always spelled with a capital S. The word came into English use in the 1920s, and you can spell it with a small s if you prefer.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wordplay and schadenfreude aren’t the real issues here.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
For those seeking schadenfreude, look no further than the immense coach doors, opening to the front and hinged at the rear.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
From late-night talk shows to the halls of power, there was more than a bit of celebration, and some actually reasonable schadenfreude.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
My cup of schadenfreude should be running over right about now.
From Salon • Oct. 19, 2025
For all that there was just that touch of schadenfreude in his tone that promised that he for one would do his best to bear up if it wasn't.
From A Crooked Mile by Onions, Oliver [pseud.]
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
