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zeitgeist

[ zahyt-gahyst, tsahyt- ]

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.



zeitgeist

/ ˈ³ú²¹Éª³Ùˌɡ²¹Éª²õ³Ù /

noun

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

Zeitgeist

  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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˜yĞÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of zeitgeist1

First recorded in 1840–50; from German Zeitgeist, equivalent to Zeit “time, age, epoch†+ Geist “spirit, mind, intellectâ€; tide 1( def ), ghost ( def )
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˜yĞÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of zeitgeist1

C20: from German, literally: time spirit; see tide 1, ghost
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Example Sentences

"The Woman in the Yard" lives about as far from the American political zeitgeist as Ramona, Taylor and Annie do from civilization; distance notwithstanding, the film taps right into this moment of national guilt and despondency over choices made.

From

Launched in 2020, Netflix’s “Love Is Blind†has become a powerhouse, capturing the pop culture zeitgeist with its outrageous mix of surprise and unpredictability.

From

The festival’s mix of left-of-the-dial artists, advocacy groups like Handgun Control Inc. and the National Abortion Rights Action League, and funky food and drinks captured the zeitgeist.

From

“But I know what I can do and what I can bring to the table. Jack really pulled this out of my head and he gave it this life and added so much more on top of it. It’s very poignant. I feel like we caught the zeitgeist.â€

From

The pop star's seventh album, Brat, captured the cultural zeitgeist in a way that few artists ever manage.

From

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More About Zeitgeist

What does zeitgeist mean?

The zeitgeistÌıis 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 timeÌı 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.

Where does zeitgeistÌıcome from?

Zeitgeist is borrowed from German and literally translates to “time spirit†or “spirit of the times.†It comes from the German Zeit, meaning “time,†and Geist, meaning “spirit†or “ghost†(as seen in poltergeist, which means “a noisy ghostâ€). The term was originally used by German philosophers in the 1800s, including Georg Hegel and Johann Goethe. One of its first known uses in English came in an 1848 book by British literary critic Matthew Arnold, who often discussed Goethe in his work.

Zeitgeist may still be used in philosophical discussions, but it is perhaps more popularly used in observations about what people are or were feeling during a particular moment of time. It is especially used in discussions of public attitudes and cultural shifts during past periods, which are easier to identify and analyze with hindsight. Sometimes it is applied to an entire era, such as the Victorian era, whose zeitgeist is often described as being focused on industrial progress. It is often applied to decades. For example, the zeitgeistÌıof 1980s America is often said to have been a preoccupation with wealth and consumption. Sometimes, zeitgeist is used in discussion of how it changed, as in The free loving zeitgeistÌıof the early ’60s was soon replaced with anxieties driven by assassination and war.

Zeitgeist is often used to discuss particular works of art that are considered to have skillfully represented the prevailing outlook of a certain time, such as books, music, and movies, as in The film perfectly captures the zeitgeist during the tech boom of the early 2000s.

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What are some other forms of zeitgeist?

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What are some words that share a root or word element with zeitgeist?Ìı

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How is zeitgeist used in real life?

Zeitgeist is often used in observations about cultural trends and in statements about media that are said to have captured the overall feeling of an era.

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Is zeitgeist used correctly in the following sentence?

The musical zeitgeist of the 1980s was dominated by flashy performances and flamboyant fashions.

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