Weltschmerz

Weltschmerz or welt·schmerz [velt-shmerts] ExamplesWord Origin noun German.

1. sorrow that one feels and accepts as one’s necessary portion in life; sentimental pessimism.

Origin of Weltschmerz literally, world-pain Related Words for weltschmerz nervousness, apprehension, agony, misgiving, uneasiness, dread, blues, depression, Weltschmerz Examples from the Web for weltschmerz Historical Examples of weltschmerz

Solomon Gabirol may be said to have been the first poet thrilled by Weltschmerz.

Jewish Literature and Other Essays

Gustav Karpeles

It was no longer the Weltschmerz, but a Privatschmerz,32 that afflicted me.

Eyes Like the Sea

Mr Jkai

Well, it is a form of Weltschmerz, and only afflicts the well-fed.

Frulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther

Elizabeth von Arnim

And just as his ideals are vague and abstract, so too are the expressions of his Weltschmerz.

Types of Weltschmerz in German Poetry

Wilhelm Alfred Braun

Weltschmerz is essentially a symptom of a period of conflict, of transition.

Types of Weltschmerz in German Poetry

Wilhelm Alfred Braun

British Dictionary definitions for weltschmerz Weltschmerz noun

1. sadness or melancholy at the evils of the world; world-weariness

Word Origin for Weltschmerz literally: world pain Word Origin and History for weltschmerz n.

“pessimism about life,” 1875, from German Weltschmerz, coined 1810 by Jean Paul Richter, from Welt “world” (see world) + Schmerz “pain” (see smart (n.)). Popularized in German by Heine.