Weltschmerz
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Weltschmerz
First recorded in 1860–65; literally, “world-pain,” from Welt world ( def. ) + Schmerz “pain”; see smart ( def. ) (in the sense “pain”)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is even more surprising, given that what the German novelist Jean Paul christened Weltschmerz has seemingly been in steady decline for the last 10 years.
From The Guardian • Feb. 3, 2016
The crass Buck is less interested in discussing Tony’s sudden bout of Weltschmerz than he is in ushering him off to the Japanese restaurant where their dates await.
From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2011
Soprano Dow, who comes from Texas, may not have so much Weltschmerz in her polished voice as Schoenberg had in mind, but she sings with great accuracy and lyrical ease.
From Time Magazine Archive
The largest offender in this regard is Danny Huston, who plays the lead, an investigative reporter turned private eye, and is loxlike in his lack of any emotion aside from Weltschmerz.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Homesickness is very often hunger, and Weltschmerz can 124 frequently be cured by a becoming frock, or brought on by an ill-fitting one,” she meditated, as she fastened the pink and lace for Frieda.
From The Wide Awake Girls in Winsted by Barrett, Katharine Ellis
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.
