German Untranslatable Words

A curated set of 11 untranslatable words in German — literal translations, real meanings, and where each one comes from.

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• Schadenfreude — The guilty little pleasure of taking satisfaction in someone else's misfortune. Literally: harm-joy.
• Fernweh — An aching longing for far-off places you've never been — the opposite of homesickness. Literally: far-sickness.
• Weltschmerz — The weariness and sadness you feel when the world as it is falls painfully short of the world as it should be. Literally: world-pain.
• Torschlusspanik — The anxious fear that time is running out — that the gates of opportunity, youth, or life are closing before you've done enough. Literally: gate-closing panic.
• Kummerspeck — The weight you gain from emotional eating — the extra pounds that accumulate during heartbreak, stress, or sadness. Literally: grief bacon.
• Fremdschämen — The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — even when they seem oblivious. Literally: external shame.
• Drachenfutter — A peace-offering gift brought home to a partner after staying out too late or doing something thoughtless. Literally: dragon fodder.
• Verschlimmbessern — To make something worse in a well-intentioned attempt to improve it. Literally: to make-worse-better.
• Sturmfrei — The liberating feeling of having the house entirely to yourself — when parents or a partner are away and you have total freedom. Literally: storm-free.
• Waldeinsamkeit — The serene, faintly mystical feeling of being alone in the woods, at peace with nature. Literally: forest solitude.
• Backpfeifengesicht — A face that is just begging to be slapped — someone so smug you can't help the urge. Literally: slap-face.

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