Untranslatable wordEmotionGerman

Weltschmerz

Meaning: 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

Origin: German Welt ('world') + Schmerz ('pain'); coined by Jean Paul in 1827.

More untranslatable words — Emotion

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More German untranslatable words

  • Kummerspeck The weight you gain from emotional eating — the extra pounds that accumulate during heart…
  • Fremdschämen The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — ev…
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  • Verschlimmbessern To make something worse in a well-intentioned attempt to improve it.
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  • Waldeinsamkeit The serene, faintly mystical feeling of being alone in the woods, at peace with nature.

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