schadenfreude

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for March 4, 2025 is "schadenfreude", a noun that refers to the feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people. An example of schadenfreude is when many viewers felt pleasure when an arrogant contestant was voted off a show. The word "schadenfreude" is a compound of the German nouns "Schaden", meaning "damage", and "Freude", meaning "joy". The concept of schadenfreude was popular in Germany and was discussed by philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Kant, and Nietzsche. It was introduced to English in the mid-1800s and was initially used mostly by academics. In the early 1990s, the word was introduced to a wider audience through pop culture, such as in a 1991 episode of The Simpsons. In this episode, Lisa explains schadenfreude to Homer, who is gloating at his neighbor's failure. Lisa also tells Homer that the opposite of schadenfreude is sour grapes. Homer is impressed that the Germans have a word for everything. The word "schadenfreude" is often looked up on the Merriam-Webster website, indicating its continued relevance and interest.