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• schadenfreude
  schadenfreude

  noun

  satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
• Schadenfreude
  Schadenfreude

  noun

  delight in another's misfortune

schadenfreude

American  

[shahd-n-froi-duh] / ˈʃɑd nˌfrɔɪ də /

noun

1. satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

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Schadenfreude British  

/ ˈʃaːdənfrɔydə /

noun

1. delight in another's misfortune

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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

See Examples For:

schadenfreude Schadenfreude

As soon as enough votes were counted to officially knock Tom Steyer out of the California governor’s race, the anti-billionaire schadenfreude kicked in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026

In fact, it is backfiring, dusting the world in optimistic, spring-flower pink schadenfreude.

From Salon ● May 16, 2026

But there’s no schadenfreude watching her squeeze into a middle seat, no glee in her comeuppance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 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

With barely concealed and gleeful schadenfreude, the Russians said that the Enron scandal undermined their confidence in Western accountants and the GAAP.

From Crime and Corruption by Vaknin, Samuel

Schadenfreude was the community’s way to vent tension.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Yes, along with the loss comes a predictable gust of Schadenfreude from the Duke-despising public.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

Schadenfreude would sustain a show for only so long.

From New York Times ● May 28, 2023

Live TV offers myriad opportunities to say something foolish, which, you can be sure, will be remembered and replayed by the Schadenfreude crowd.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 26, 2022

But the United States would be mistaken to indulge in Schadenfreude or to gleefully assume that it has finally succeeded in isolating the insolent French and the somnolent Germans.

From The Belgian Curtain Europe after Communism by Vaknin, Samuel