schadenfreude
noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
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Schadenfreude
Schadenfreudenoundelight in another's misfortune
schadenfreude
American
[shahd-n-froi-duh]
/ ˈʃɑd nˌfrɔɪ də /
noun
Schadenfreude
British
/ ˈʃaːdənfrɔydə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of schadenfreude
1890–95; < German, equivalent to Schaden harm + Freude joy
Explanation
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.
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.
See Examples For:
It’s content that delivers pure physical comedy, guilt-free schadenfreude and a reassuring feeling of superiority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
In fact, it is backfiring, dusting the world in optimistic, spring-flower pink schadenfreude.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
Outside it, though, the repeated collapses turned into a bottomless source of schadenfreude.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
Delicious, especially if you enjoy your schadenfreude served piping hot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025
This schadenfreude, "harm-joy" as the Germans call it, is not satisfying to think of for human nature and it has an inevitable reaction through the unfavorable suggestion of these crimes.
From Psychotherapy by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh
Schadenfreude was the community’s way to vent tension.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The allies may come to regret their short-term Schadenfreude about Mr. Trump’s Hormuz predicament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
The other anagram of “Tár” is, of course, “ART,” and as real-life art monsters disappear from view, “Tár” offers up a work into which we can sublimate our own Schadenfreude and sympathy for abusers.
From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2022
Call today’s diagram a little bit of grandmasterly Schadenfreude.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 14, 2022
The word used means, like the German "Schadenfreude," rejoicing at another's injury.
From Euripedes and His Age by Gilbert Murray
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
