Zeitgeist

[ tsahyt-gahyst ]

/ ˈtsaɪtˌgaɪst /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Zeitgeist ON THESAURUS.COM

noun German.

the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for zeitgeist

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|DAILY BEAST
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 Future|Nathaniel Rich|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A must read for anyone who wishes to understand the zeitgeist of those early days.
Vets Pick the Best Books About Iraq|The Daily Beast|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many authors are lauded for successfully capturing the zeitgeist but Zweig outdid them all.
Wes Anderson’s Austrian Muse: Stefan Zweig|Lucy Scholes|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Many attempted the superhuman feat of bringing her back into the zeitgeist, but few succeeded.
Who Is Gal Gadot, the New Wonder Woman?|Amy Zimmerman|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This Zeitgeist is clearly reflected in his compositions, in particular the symphonies and sonatas.
Beethoven|George Alexander Fischer
Zeitgeist: The things that everybody believes, but that nobody understands.
The Roycroft Dictionary|Elbert Hubbard
I'll not quote the Latin—it would be classic, and to be classic is against the regulations of the Zeitgeist.
Papers and proceedings of the thirty-fifth general meeting of the American Library Association, 1913|Various
The new era or Zeitgeist is putting its stamp on all its peoples.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
I have lived long enough to hear the Zeitgeist invoked to bless very different theories.
Painted Windows|Harold Begbie

British Dictionary definitions for zeitgeist

zeitgeist

/ (ˈzaɪtˌɡaɪst) /

noun

the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, esp as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc

Word Origin for zeitgeist

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for zeitgeist

zeitgeist

1848, from German Zeitgeist, literally "spirit of the age," from Zeit "time" (see tide) + Geist "spirit" (see ghost).

Culture definitions for zeitgeist

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.