Sturm und Drang

[ shtoorm oont drahng ]

noun

1. a style or movement of German literature of the latter half of the 18th century: characterized chiefly by impetuosity of manner, exaltation of individual sensibility and intuitive perception, opposition to established forms of society and thought, and extreme nationalism.
2. tumult; turmoil; upheaval.

Sturm und Drang

/ ˈʃtʊrm ʊnt ˈdraŋ /

noun

1. a German literary movement of the latter half of the 18th century, characterized by a reaction against rationalism

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sturm und Drang¹

< German: literally, storm and stress

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sturm und Drang¹

literally: storm and stress, from the title of a play by F. M. von Klinger (1752–1831), German dramatist

Example Sentences

I’m thinking to myself it’s almost boring, but it was affirming that after all that Sturm und Drang, the system worked.

From Ozy

Kathy took me on, and after a fair amount of sturm und drang—young writers do think every word is precious!

From The Daily Beast

The man at the center of the sturm und drang was a spy in the offices of the German BND intelligence service.

From The Daily Beast

Maybe all this Sturm und Drang will give birth to a new lime-lite generation of cocktails.

From The Daily Beast

All the political sturm und drang around the jobs numbers is appropriate.

From The Daily Beast

Areheart herself told one literary agent that dealing with Jackson was “a huge nightmare, just a lot of Sturm und Drang.”

From The Daily Beast

The crows regard them as fair game, hence their nest-building season is a time of sturm und drang.

From Project Gutenberg

There is a Sturm und Drang period in every man's life, depend upon it.

From Project Gutenberg

We find no humour, no Sturm und Drang, no inequalities and incoherences of passion.

From Project Gutenberg

It was one of his earliest works, Sturm und Drang , which gave its name to this literary epoch.

From Project Gutenberg

They witnessed the close of his Sturm und Drang period and his complete transformation into a master.

From Project Gutenberg