What does "Schadenfreude" mean in English?

Some words are too good to leave behind, especially when they name a feeling everyone knows but nobody had a word for. That's why English borrowed "schadenfreude." It's that little spark of satisfaction when your arrogant coworker's big idea flops, or when a show-off misses an easy shot. It's not exactly noble, but let's be honest, we've all felt it.

How "schadenfreude" is used in English

In English, "schadenfreude" means the same as in German: a guilty pleasure at someone else's bad luck. It's usually written with a lowercase "s," although you'll sometimes see it capitalized. Most English speakers say it something like SHAH-den-froy-duh.

• I felt a twinge of schadenfreude when his presentation fell apart.
• The rival fans couldn't hide their schadenfreude when the team lost in the last minute.
• A lot of celebrity gossip runs on schadenfreude.

It's a bit of an educated word, so you'll see it more often in articles and books than in casual chat. In conversation, people often describe the feeling instead.

English phrases that come close

English doesn't have a perfect one-word equivalent, but a few phrases come close.

Gloat means to show openly how pleased you are about your own success or someone else's failure. Unlike schadenfreude, which can be a quiet, private feeling, gloating is out loud.

• He was gloating all evening after beating his brother at chess.
• Okay, you won. No need to gloat.

Take pleasure in someone's misfortune describes enjoying it, often because it feels deserved.

• She tried to hide it, but she clearly took pleasure in his failure.

In casual conversation, you'll also hear people say someone "had it coming" or that it "serves them right."

• After how he treated everyone, he had it coming.
• He cheated and got caught. Serves him right.

We might not like to admit it, but schadenfreude is part of being human. And thanks to German, English has the perfect word for it.

Schadenfreude isn't the only German word we've borrowed. Want to discover more? Check out our Daily Dose of Denglisch Docs.