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I believe it is what the Germans call "Schadenfreude". English itself has no such equivalent word. (Although it has been adopted as a loanword.)

Does an idiom exist that describes it?

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What do you mean, "English has no such equivalent word"? It does, and that word is schadenfreude. Merriam-Webster: "enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others", Wiktionary: "malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else's misfortune", and in fact your very own Wikipedia link mentions right in the second sentence that schadenfreude is "used as a loanword in English and some other languages". –  RegDwigнt Sep 30 '11 at 9:19
The link says it is a "loanword". i.e. It has been adopted, because there is no English translation (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loanword). You'll notice that my question asks for an idiom... –  Urbycoz Sep 30 '11 at 10:26
Schadenfreude -is- an idiom (well, its parts are inscrutable). A loanword is still English. But we know what you mean, something that is not a loanword, like 'spite' or 'frustration' (no, those are not suggestions). –  Mitch Sep 30 '11 at 13:12
@Urbycoz: no, you -should- include Schadenfreude in your question, as you want to make it explicit that it is an answer you don't want. –  Mitch Sep 30 '11 at 15:18
Is anyone else tired of hearing about "loan words"? Every word of English is a loan word. (The only difference is wrt how long ago a foreign word was adopted.) Sheesh. The same is true of some other languages, but it is especially true of English. (Not to mention that it is a lousy term: Is such a word ever going to be given back to the other language? And even if it were, from the point of view of English it would be an act of borrowing, not loaning.) –  Drew Aug 3 '14 at 3:24

5 Answers 5

up vote 10 down vote accepted

I remember a Magic The Gathering card which had "Schadenfreude" in German and "Sadistic Glee" in English.

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I'd never thought of Magic the Gathering cards as an authoritative source on English grammar and usage before! :-) –  Jay Dec 21 '11 at 21:24
Haha, no, definitely not, but in this case they provided me with the best translation I know for "Schadenfreude" :-). –  Raku Dec 23 '11 at 11:43

The Wikipedia page includes the English equivalents of Schadenfreude.

  • Epicaricacy
  • Roman holiday
  • Morose delectation
  • Gloating
  • lulz

Little-used English words synonymous with schadenfreude have been derived from the Greek word epichairekakia (ἐπιχαιρεκακία). Nathan Bailey's 18th-century Universal Etymological English Dictionary, for example, contains an entry for epicharikaky that gives its etymology as a compound of ἐπί epi (upon), χαρά chara (joy), and κακόν kakon (evil). A popular modern collection of rare words, however, gives its spelling as "epicaricacy".


Another phrase with a meaning similar to Schadenfreude is "morose delectation" ("delectatio morosa" in Latin), meaning "the habit of dwelling with enjoyment on evil thoughts". The medieval church taught morose delectation as a sin. French writer Pierre Klossowski maintained that the appeal of sadism is morose delectation.

An English word of similar meaning is "gloating", where "gloat" is defined as "to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction, gratification, or delight" (gloat over an enemy's misfortune).

The internet slang term "lulz" (A variation of LOL) has acquired the connotation of fun or amusement at another person's expense, especially in regard to trolling behavior.

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The problem here is that if you used any of these words (with the exception, perhaps, of "lulz," which doesn't correspond directly to schadenfreude), you'd have to explain that the word means... well, "schadenfreude." I can't see the point of finding an obscure, arcane synonym to use in place of a well known term. I like the article tho! :) –  sequoia mcdowell Sep 30 '11 at 14:30
+1 - I think "gloat" is a verb that very accurately describes the noun "Schadenfreude." –  oosterwal Sep 30 '11 at 16:58
"gloat" is a good general answers. Your other suggestions are pretty obscure, and I don't think most people would know what you meant. (And when I say "most people", I mean "me".) –  Jay Dec 21 '11 at 21:25

Though "Sadistic" carries a potential sexual inference (that one would actually derive sexual pleasure from another's suffering), this word is used frequently without implying the sexual element of it. It derives from The Marquis de Sade who was a real go-getter.

Of someone who delights in the pain of others; Of behaviour which gives pleasure in the pain of others

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The dictionary definition of "sadistic" does not mention anything sexual. –  Urbycoz Sep 30 '11 at 14:00
THAT definition of sadistic didn't include anything sexual... If you'll click on the Sadistic link above you'll see the first definition of it is: "1.Deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others." I picked a definition further down the list that didn't include sexual gratification to show that it didn't have to be sexual. –  Rikon Sep 30 '11 at 14:12

Malicious enjoyment is a normal ego-produced feeling. When I was in school and I received a "B" in a test, I hated the "A"s but loved gloating at the "C"s. Politics and sports are full of schadenfreude. Often we gain from other's misfortunes and people who are run by their egos love to feel anything that will stroke the ego.

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Welcome to ELU. Are you proposing malicious enjoyment as the answer to the question? If so, it's not bad; but that could be made clearer. SE is not a forum, it's a Q&A site. –  Andrew Leach Nov 3 '13 at 12:41

Currently, the newer idiom for deriving pleasure at others expense is lulz.

Often used to denote laughter at someone who is the victim of a prank, or a reason for performing an action. This variation is often used on the Encyclopedia dramatica wiki and 4chan image boards. According to a New York Times article about Internet trolling, "lulz means the joy of disrupting another's emotional equilibrium."

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Could you add some references, source, meaning of the acronym? –  Honza Zidek Jul 30 '14 at 6:06
As english.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-answer says: "Any answer that gets the asker going in the right direction is helpful, but do try to mention any limitations, assumptions or simplifications in your answer. Brevity is acceptable, but fuller explanations are better." –  Honza Zidek Jul 30 '14 at 6:22

protected by tchrist Mar 7 at 23:48


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