Zeitgeist

[tsahyt-gahyst]

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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

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of zeitgeist

Where should I go for tea and for news of the workings of the Zeitgeist?'
The Convert
Elizabeth Robins
All this was but a part and parcel of the times—an index of the Zeitgeist.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 11 (of 14)
Elbert Hubbard
The authors and thinkers themselves have been the first to feel the Zeitgeist.
The Arena
Various
That the young are the only bridge to the promised land of the zeitgeist of capitalism.
After the Rain
Sam Vaknin
The new era or Zeitgeist is putting its stamp on all its peoples.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe
John M. Tyler

British Dictionary definitions for zeitgeist

zeitgeist

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

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.