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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

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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

No matter how gleeful Siskel and Ebert used to look sparring over movies, their industry was built on intellectual debate in pursuit of cinematic resonance, not schadenfreude.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

Indulge in some workplace schadenfreude: Some people despise their jobs, but, for whatever reason, refuse to leave.

From Slate ● Oct. 26, 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

Now, the foundations of their empire are cracking—raising questions about the once-sizzling industry’s future and transfixing Wall Street in a mix of schadenfreude and anxiety.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

Let us go, you & I, to re-invent the damage and call it discovery, to uniformly lift up our cry in schadenfreude, meek before Great Cities that bend as fenders to the glare.

From Unmanned by Stephen Oliver

Schadenfreude isn’t listed among Airbnb’s amenities — but this week, it’s practically complimentary.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

And an absolute bummer for me and anyone else who really craved some Saturday night Schadenfreude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Schadenfreude was the community’s way to vent tension.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Schadenfreude would sustain a show for only so long.

From New York Times ● May 28, 2023

"I can easily believe you don't approve it," she said with a gleam of Schadenfreude.

From The Messenger by Elizabeth Robins

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