Zeitgeist
[tsahyt-gahyst]
- the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
trendoutlookspiritclimatefeelingflavortonemilieuinclinationleaningmovementtendencytenorambienceatmospheredispositionExamples from the Web for zeitgeist
Contemporary Examples
Doug [Ellin] is a genius at capturing the zeitgeist, and I think Entourage was very prophetic.
Adrian Grenier Talks the Economy, the ‘Entourage’ Movie, and the HBO Series’ Alleged ‘Misogyny’Marlow Stern
October 28, 2014
Zeitgeist novels tend to fall in one of three categories, none of which have anything to do with the quality of the work itself.
Zen, Motorcycles, And The Cult of Tech: How Robert Pirsig’s Classic Anticipated the FutureNathaniel Rich
August 31, 2014
A must read for anyone who wishes to understand the zeitgeist of those early days.
Many authors are lauded for successfully capturing the zeitgeist but Zweig outdid them all.
Many attempted the superhuman feat of bringing her back into the zeitgeist, but few succeeded.
Historical Examples
Where should I go for tea and for news of the workings of the Zeitgeist?'
The ConvertElizabeth Robins
All this was but a part and parcel of the times—an index of the Zeitgeist.
The authors and thinkers themselves have been the first to feel the Zeitgeist.
The ArenaVarious
That the young are the only bridge to the promised land of the zeitgeist of capitalism.
After the RainSam Vaknin
The new era or Zeitgeist is putting its stamp on all its peoples.
The New Stone Age in Northern EuropeJohn M. Tyler
zeitgeist
- the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, esp as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc
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Word Origin
C20: from German, literally: time spirit; see tide 1, ghost
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for zeitgeist
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Zeitgeist
[(tseyt-geyst, zeyt-geyst)]
The general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era; Zeitgeist is German for “time-spirit.” For example, the Zeitgeist of England in the Victorian period included a belief in industrial progress, and the Zeitgeist of the 1980s in the United States was a belief in the power of money and the many ways in which to spend it.
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.