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View synonyms for zeitgeist

zeitgeist

[ zahyt-gahyst, tsahyt- ]

noun

  1. Sometimes Zeitgeist. the spirit of the time; the general trend of thought, feeling, or tastes characteristic of a particular period of time:

    It’s one of those iconic novels that represents the zeitgeist of the mid-1990s so perfectly that reading it provides the ideal dose of nostalgia.



zeitgeist

/ ˈzaɪtˌɡaɪst /

noun

  1. the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, esp as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc


Zeitgeist

  1. The general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era; Zeitgeist is German for “time-spirit.” For example, the Zeitgeist of England in the Victorian period included a belief in industrial progress, and the Zeitgeist of the 1980s in the United States was a belief in the power of money and the many ways in which to spend it.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of zeitgeist1

First recorded in 1840–50; from German Zeitgeist, equivalent to Zeit “time, age, epoch” + Geist “spirit, mind, intellect”; tide 1( def ), ghost ( def )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of zeitgeist1

C20: from German, literally: time spirit; see tide 1, ghost

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Example Sentences

Doug [Ellin] is a genius at capturing the zeitgeist, and I think Entourage was very prophetic.

It was only a matter of time before meatier critical journalism began to pick up on the butthole zeitgeist.

Zeitgeist novels tend to fall in one of three categories, none of which have anything to do with the quality of the work itself.

A must read for anyone who wishes to understand the zeitgeist of those early days.

We now have to make it more salacious by adding in some sort of zeitgeist-y pop culture reference to social media and blogging.

The authors and thinkers themselves have been the first to feel the Zeitgeist.

Have the Zeitgeist and the Weltschmerz and the other things compared to which ‘le spleen’ was gay, done so much for us?

It is easy to overestimate the influence of any single man, and, contrariwise, to underestimate the power of the Zeitgeist.

And this active province of Béarn kept pace; it opened quickly to the new influences, was alive to the changing zeitgeist.

It is the Zeitgeist; when we have conquered, with their help, we shall teach them the real lesson of Christianity!

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zeitgeberzeitgeisty