zeitgeist

[ zahyt-gahyst, tsahyt- ]
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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.

Origin of zeitgeist

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

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

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British Dictionary definitions for zeitgeist

zeitgeist

/ (ˈzaɪtˌɡaɪst) /


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

Origin of zeitgeist

1
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

Cultural 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.

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.