Fremdschämen

Meaning: The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — even when they seem oblivious.

Literally: External shame

Origin: German fremd ('other') + schämen ('to be ashamed'); the German answer to secondhand cringe.

More German untranslatable words

Verschlimmbessern To make something worse in a well-intentioned attempt to improve it.
Sturmfrei The liberating feeling of having the house entirely to yourself — when parents or a partn…
Waldeinsamkeit The serene, faintly mystical feeling of being alone in the woods, at peace with nature.
Backpfeifengesicht A face that is just begging to be slapped — someone so smug you can't help the urge.
Schadenfreude The guilty little pleasure of taking satisfaction in someone else's misfortune.
Fernweh An aching longing for far-off places you've never been — the opposite of homesickness.

Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.

Kleider machen Leute How you dress shapes how others see and treat you.
Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben Don't celebrate success before it is certain.
Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne Any real work or change comes with some mess or damage.

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