Sturm und Drang

American  

[shtoorm oont drahng] / ˌʃtʊərm ʊnt ˈdrɑŋ /

noun

1. a style or movement of German literature of the latter half of the 18th century: characterized chiefly by impetuosity of manner, exaltation of individual sensibility and intuitive perception, opposition to established forms of society and thought, and extreme nationalism.

2. tumult; turmoil; upheaval.

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Sturm und Drang British  

/ ˈʃtʊrm ʊnt ˈdraŋ /

noun

1. a German literary movement of the latter half of the 18th century, characterized by a reaction against rationalism

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Etymology

Origin of Sturm und Drang

< German: literally, storm and stress

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sturm und Drang

But beneath all the Sturm und Drang, the AI trade had already started to reconfigure itself.

From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025

Oddly, amid all the Sturm und Drang occasioned by the governor’s infrastructure package, Newsom has refrained from using his regulatory authority over CEQA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2023

Let’s circle back to the Sturm und Drang about whole milk making kids gain weight — a main reason behind long-standing recommendations that children stop drinking whole milk at age 2.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 3, 2023

So has all the Sturm und Drang been a big hullaballoo over nothing?

From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2023

For Sturm und Drang, there’s not much to beat the peroration of Frederick Douglass’s 1852 Fourth of July address.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith