1890–95; < German, equivalent to Schaden harm + Freude joy
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wordplay and schadenfreude aren’t the real issues here.
From Salon ● May 8, 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
My cup of schadenfreude should be running over right about now.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2025
Delicious, especially if you enjoy your schadenfreude served piping hot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025
For all that there was just that touch of schadenfreude in his tone that promised that he for one would do his best to bear up if it wasn't.
From A Crooked Mile by Onions, Oliver [pseud.]
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
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
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
"I can easily believe you don't approve it," she said with a gleam of Schadenfreude.
From The Messenger by Robins, Elizabeth
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.
