Schadenfreude

is a German word meaning 'pleasure taken from someone else's misfortune.' It is sometimes used as a loanword in English and other languages. The German pronunciation of the word is [ˈʃaːdənˌfʁɔʏdə] (IPA).

It derives from Schaden (damage, harm) and Freude (joy); Schaden derives from the Middle High German schade, from the Old High German scado, and freude comes from the Middle High German vreude, from the Old High German frewida, from frō, (happy). In German, the word always carries a negative connotation. A distinction exists between "secret schadenfreude" (a private feeling) and "open schadenfreude" (Hohn).

Usually, it is believed that Schadenfreude has no direct English equivalent. For example, Harper Collins German-English Dictionary translates schadenfreude as "malicious glee or gloating." An apparent English equivalent is epicaricacy, derived from the Greek word επιχαιρεκακία, epichaerecacia. This word does not appear in most modern dictionaries, but does appear in Nathaniel Bailey's Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1727) under a slightly different spelling (epicharikaky), which gives its etymology as a compound of epi (upon), chara (joy), and kakon (evil).

In English, the word sometimes is capitalized, because of the German grammatical convention of capitalizing all common nouns in addition to proper nouns; however, as a loanword in English, it usually follows English orthography and is not capitalized.

In Buddhism, the concept of mudita, "sympathetic joy" or "happiness in another's good fortune," is often explained as the opposite of schadenfreude.

Expressions and the term in other languages

• Schadenfreude ist die schönste Freude (denn sie kommt von Herzen): "Schadenfreude is the most superb kind of joy (since it comes directly from the heart)." (proverb)

• Neid zu fühlen ist menschlich, Schadenfreude zu genießen teuflisch: "To feel envy is human, to enjoy schadenfreude is devilish." (Arthur Schopenhauer)

• Das Wort Schadenfreude kennt man nur im Deutschen: "The word schadenfreude is known only in German." (unknown author)

• Dutch:Geen schoner vermaak dan leedvermaak: "No better joy than joy about someone else's sorrow." (Proverb, often used ironically).

• The French proverb: Le malheur des uns fait le bonheur des autres: "One person's misfortune is another's happiness".

Similar terms in other languages:

• Arabic: shamaatah شماتة (shamtan, taking pleasure in the misfortune of others)
• Bulgarian: злорадство (зло, evil or harm, радост, joy)
• Czech: škodolibost (škoda, damage, harm, or loss, libost, pleasure)
• Danish and Norwegian: skadefryd (skade, damage, injury or harm, fryd, glee)
• Dutch: leedvermaak (leed, suffering or sorrow, and vermaak, entertainment)
• Estonian: kahjurõõm (kahju, damage or harm and rõõm, joy)
• Finnish: vahingonilo (vahinko, accident or damage, ilo, joy or happiness)
• Greek: χαιρεκακία (χαρά, joy or delight and κακία, spite or ill will)
• Hebrew: שמחה) : שמחה לאיד, joy, איד, misfortune) (simxa la'ed)
• Hungarian: káröröm (kár, loss or damage, öröm, joy)
• Lithuanian: piktdžiuga (piktas angry, džiaugsmas joy)
• Russian: злорадство (зло, evil or harm, радость, joy)
• Scots Gaelic: aighear millteach (aighear, delight or joy, millteach, malicious or destructive)
• Serbian and Croatian: zluradost (zlo, evil, radost, joy)
• Slovak: škodoradosť (škoda, damage, harm, or loss, radosť, joy)
• Slovenian: škodoželjnost (škoda, damage, harm, or loss, želeti, to wish)
• Swedish: skadeglädje (skada, damage, glädje, joy or happiness)

In Swedish and Norwegian, there also the saying: skadeglädjen/fryd är den enda sanna glädjen/fryd ("schadenfreude is the only true joy"). A Finnish variant is: vahingonilo on aidointa iloa, sillä siihen ei sisälly tippaakaan kateutta ("schadenfreude is the purest joy, since it doesn't include a bit of envy"). A Slovak variant is: škodoradosť je najväčšia radosť ("schadenfreude is the greatest joy"), similar in meaning to the Hungarian variant: legszebb öröm a káröröm, and the Estonian: kahjurõõm on kõige suurem rõõm. In Hebrew the saying is: 'אין שמחה כשמחה לאיד' ("There is no joy like schadenfreude"). In Danish, the saying is: Egen lykke er at foretrække men andres ulykke er dog ikke at foragte, and translates to "(One's) own happiness should be preferred, but the misfortune of others should not be scorned." In Dutch the saying is: Er is geen beter vermaak dan leedvermaak ("There's no greater joy than schadenfreude").

In Thai, the phrase สมน้ำหน้า, som nam na, can be interpreted as: "You got what you deserved"; "Serves you right"; or "I'm laughing at your bad luck".

In Korean, the phrase 고소하다, go so ha da, literally translated means "to smell sesame oil", because in Korea the smell of sesame oil is regarded as very pleasant, this phrase also is used when one is pleased about a particular event. It is especially used when one is pleased about an event involving the misfortune of another.

In Chinese, the phrase 幸灾乐祸 (Chinese: 幸災樂禍; pinyin: xìngzāi lèhuò) is an old idiom that directly translates to "enjoying (other's) calamity (and) laughing at (other's) misfortune".

In Japanese, the phrase 他人の不幸は蜜の味, tanin no fukou wa mitsu no aji, translates literally as "others' misfortunes are the taste of honey".

In popular culture

• In his memoirs, Inside the Third Reich, Albert Speer described Adolf Hitler's sense of humor as almost entirely based upon schadenfreude. Some examples were mean-spirited jokes played on ministers such as Joachim von Ribbentrop, many initiated by Hitler or his friends.

• "Schadenfreude" is the title of a song in the 2004 Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, sung by characters Gary Coleman and Nicky. The song features the line: "Happiness at the misfortune of others? That is German!"' Schadenfreude is described as both: "Happiness at the misfortune of others" and "People taking pleasure in your pain".

• "Schadenfreude" is the title of a Boston Legal episode wherein character Alan Shore (James Spader) uses the term in explaining why some defendants are convicted of an unrelated crime after having engaged in culturally unacceptable or possibly illegal activities.

• Schadenfreude is referred to in The West Wing by White House Press Secretary C. J. Cregg (Allison Janney). Cregg notes that after an important member of the White House staff, and a friend of hers, made a big political mistake, Washington insiders will be enjoying schadenfreude. When an assistant asks the definition of the word, Cregg responds "Schadenfreude: taking joy in the suffering of others. You know, the whole rationale behind the House of Representatives."

• Schadenfreude is referred to in the Malcolm in the Middle (TV series) episode "High School Play" (2000) by Krelboyne Lloyd (Evan Matthew Cohen). Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) abandons the Krelboynes to play the role of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream and has forgotten all of his lines. Lloyd comments, "Normally, I would enjoy the schadenfreude, but this is just sad."

• Schadenfreude also is referred to in the Simpsons episode "When Flanders Failed." Lisa accuses Homer of feeling schadenfreude when Homer gloats about Ned Flanders being on the verge of bankruptcy. Lisa asks Homer, "Dad, do you know what Schadenfreude is?", to which Homer replies in a sarcastic tone, "No, I do not know what Schadenfreude is. Please tell me because I'm dying to know." Lisa then explains "It's a German word for shameful joy, taking pleasure in the suffering of others." Homer responds with "Oh, come on, Lisa. I'm just glad to see him fall flat on his butt! He's usually all happy and comfortable, and surrounded by loved ones, and it makes me feel...what's the opposite of that shameful joy thing of yours? -Sour grapes. "Boy, those Germans have a word for everything."

• Schadenfreude is referred to in Cantor's Dilemma (ISBN 0-14-014359-9), a 1991 novel by Carl Djerassi, inventor of the birth control pill. The protagonist, Professor I. C. Cantor, has a lengthy discussion with his romantic interest, Ms. Paula Curry, about the word in the context of the joy that competing scientists feel when the other has been publicly discredited. The novel is intended as a semi-realistic account of the politics and ethics behind major scientific discoveries.

• Comedienne Sarah Silverman talked about schadenfreude in a stand-up comedy routine about Hurricane Katrina, saying that it translated into "Look, that Jew fell down."

• Ben Affleck cited schadenfreude as a contributing factor for the scathing critical response to the film Gigli, in which he starred alongside then-fiancée Jennifer Lopez.

• In The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert explains how only Germans would have a term for that.

• In the TV show Two and a Half Men episode "Bad News From the Clinic", Rose refers to her feelings of Schadenfreude and later tries to invent a word -- Glauckenstück -- to mean "feeling deep remorse for having felt Schadenfreude."

• In the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, the sports announcer played by Gary Cole can be heard to say "Let the Schadenfreude begin" in reference to the impending final match.

• In the science fiction novel StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade, the character Michael Liberty explains that the rebels (and himself) had schadenfreude "in buckets" when the Terran Confederacy was falling.

• The popular legal blog AboveTheLaw.com has used the term "Skaddenfreude" (a portmanteau, combining the term "schadenfreude" with the name of prominent New York-based law firm Skadden Arps) as a label for the events surrounding the largely unanticipated decision by many of the nation's top-tier law firms to raise associate pay in 2007.

• In Radio Free Roscoe Travis Strong decides what he's going to use as a Topic and decides to use Schadenfreude, then Ray asks what it is and Travis replys "It's the joy taken out of other people's misfortunes."

• Boston metalcore band Vanna recorded a song entitled "Schadenfreude" for their EP "The Search Party Never Came."

• Shadenfreude is the title of one of the songs from the Broadway and West End Musical Avenue Q.