Sturm und Drang

[ shtoormoont drahng ]

/ ˌʃtʊərm ʊnt ˈdrɑŋ /

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See synonyms for Sturm und Drang on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

tumult; turmoil; upheaval.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Sturm und Drang

<German: literally, storm and stress

Words nearby Sturm und Drang

Sturges, Sturgis, Sturluson, Sturmabteilung, Sturmer, Sturm und Drang, sturt, Sturt's desert pea, stushie, stutter, Stuttgart

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Sturm und Drang in a sentence

I’m thinking to myself it’s almost boring, but it was affirming that after all that Sturm und Drang, the system worked.
Condoleezza Rice Reconsiders the Right|Eugene Robinson|June 1, 2021|Ozy
Kathy took me on, and after a fair amount of sturm und drang—young writers do think every word is precious!
Kerouac Biographer Gets Back on the Road|Dennis McNally|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The man at the center of the sturm und drang was a spy in the offices of the German BND intelligence service.
The CIA’s Bumbling German Spy Was More Austin Powers and Less James Bond|Christopher Dickey, Nadette De Visser|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe all this Sturm und Drang will give birth to a new lime-lite generation of cocktails.
Limepocalypse! Inside the Great Lime Shortage of 2014|Kara Cutruzzula|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

All the political sturm und drang around the jobs numbers is appropriate.
Unemployment Report: Another Stalemate on Jobs|Mark Zandi|August 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Areheart herself told one literary agent that dealing with Jackson was “a huge nightmare, just a lot of Sturm und Drang.”
When Jackie Met Jacko|William Kuhn|December 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The crows regard them as fair game, hence their nest-building season is a time of sturm und drang.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar
There is a Sturm und Drang period in every man's life, depend upon it.
Mount Royal, Volume 2 of 3|Mary Elizabeth Braddon
We find no humour, no Sturm und Drang, no inequalities and incoherences of passion.
Primavera|Stephen Phillips, Laurence Binyon, Manmohan Ghose and Arthur Shearly Cripps
It was one of his earliest works, Sturm und Drang , which gave its name to this literary epoch.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 8|Various
They witnessed the close of his Sturm und Drang period and his complete transformation into a master.
The Life of Johannes Brahms (Vol 1 of 2)|Florence May

British Dictionary definitions for Sturm und Drang

Sturm und Drang

/ German (ˈʃtʊrm ʊnt ˈdraŋ) /

noun

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

Word Origin for Sturm und Drang

literally: storm and stress, from the title of a play by F. M. von Klinger (1752–1831), German dramatist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012