zeitgeist

American  

[tsahyt-, zahyt-gahyst] / ˈtsaɪt-, ˈzaɪtˌgaɪst /

noun

1. Sometimes Zeitgeist the spirit of the time; the general trend of thought, feeling, or tastes characteristic of a particular period of time.

   It’s one of those iconic novels that represents the zeitgeist of the mid-1990s so perfectly that reading it provides the ideal dose of nostalgia.

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zeitgeist British  

/ ˈzaɪtˌɡaɪst /

noun

1. 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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Zeitgeist Cultural  

1. 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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Usage

What does zeitgeist mean? The zeitgeist is the collective attitude or outlook of people or a culture at a specific point in time.Zeitgeist can be used in discussion of the current moment, a narrow period of time  in the past, or a broader period or era. Literature and other media are sometimes said to express the Zeitgeist of the time they were created in or of a past period of time. The word is capitalized in its original language, German, and is sometimes capitalized in English (Zeitgeist).Example: The zeitgeist at the time was a feeling that anything was possible.

Etymology

Origin of zeitgeist

First recorded in 1840–50; from German Zeitgeist, equivalent to Zeit “time, age, epoch” + Geist “spirit, mind, intellect”; tide ¹ ( def. ), ghost ( def. )

Example Sentences

Sometimes referred to as the second brain, it would continue to weave his writings together and, like all of Pollan’s work, seems poised to capture the zeitgeist just as research is emerging about it.

From Los Angeles Times

And so, the full magnitude of the true crime apparatus has descended upon the zeitgeist and this sleepy street, with no end in sight.

From Slate

AI zeitgeist darling Palantir Technologies crushed Wall Street’s fourth quarter earnings forecasts earlier this month.

From Barron's

AI zeitgeist darling Palantir Technologies crushed Wall Street’s fourth quarter earnings forecasts earlier this month.

From Barron's

“Heated Rivalry” has already been renewed for a second season and hailed for forging a new path in the gay zeitgeist.

From Salon