Practice
Schadenfreude: meaning and careful use
Sign in to saveA boastful player misses an easy shot, and a rival tries not to smile. That uneasy pleasure at somebody else's bad luck is schadenfreude.
Use schadenfreude for pleasure at another person's misfortune, distinguish it from relief or a sense of fairness, and choose the word with care.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
schadenfreude /ˈʃɑː.dənˌfrɔɪ.də/
The short answer
Schadenfreude means pleasure that someone feels because another person has a problem, makes a mistake, or fails.
A few spectators felt schadenfreude when the arrogant contestant missed an easy question.
Why it works: The spectators take pleasure in the contestant's embarrassing mistake, so schadenfreude fits.
6 more examples
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Mara admitted to a little schadenfreude when her rival's overconfident plan failed.
Mara takes pleasure in the rival's failure and admits that reaction.
Not this:Mara
felt relievedwhen the stressful competition ended. What changes: Relieved describes pressure ending. It does not say that Mara enjoyed another person's failure. -
The article avoided schadenfreude and examined what the company could learn from the setback.
The writer does not turn another group's problem into entertainment.
Not this:The article
avoided speculationand examined what the company could learn from the setback. What changes: Speculation means guessing without enough evidence. It does not describe pleasure at a problem. -
There was some schadenfreude when the manager who ignored the rules received the same penalty.
People enjoy the manager's trouble, perhaps because they see the result as deserved.
Not this:There was
a sense of fairnesswhen the manager who ignored the rules received the same penalty. What changes: A sense of fairness is a judgment about the result. Schadenfreude adds pleasure at the manager's trouble. -
Jon noticed his schadenfreude after a colleague's harmless presentation error and chose not to mention it.
Jon recognizes a private reaction to another person's embarrassment.
Not this:Jon noticed
the colleague's embarrassmentafter the presentation error and offered help. What changes: Embarrassment belongs to the person who made the error. Schadenfreude is the observer's pleasure at it. -
The commentator described online schadenfreude after the team's unexpected defeat.
The phrase names pleasure expressed by people watching the team's loss.
Not this:The commentator described
online disappointmentafter the team's unexpected defeat. What changes: Disappointment is sadness about a result. Schadenfreude is pleasure at another side's bad result. -
The teacher asked the class to discuss the mistake without schadenfreude.
The class is asked to learn from the mistake without enjoying the person's discomfort.
Not this:The teacher asked the class to discuss the mistake
without blame. What changes: Avoiding blame means not assigning fault. Avoiding schadenfreude means not taking pleasure in the trouble.
Read the full guide
Start with the source of the pleasure. Schadenfreude fits only when somebody enjoys another person's trouble. You may feel relieved when a difficult situation ends or think a result is fair without enjoying anyone's pain. Those reactions are different.
Recognize pleasure at another person's trouble
Schadenfreude is an observer's reaction. One person has bad luck, fails, or feels embarrassed, and another person finds that outcome pleasing or amusing. The problem may be small, but the enjoyment must come from the other person's trouble.
Mara admitted to a little schadenfreude when her rival's overconfident plan failed.
The rival's failure is the event. Mara's pleasure at that failure is schadenfreude.
Does schadenfreude describe the failure or the pleasure at the failure?
It describes the pleasure. The failure is the event that causes the reaction.
Use schadenfreude as a noun
Schadenfreude is a noun for a general feeling. You can feel schadenfreude, show schadenfreude, admit to schadenfreude, or speak about a feeling of schadenfreude. Do not normally put a before the word by itself. Use a feeling of schadenfreude when you need a countable noun phrase.
Jon noticed his schadenfreude after a colleague's harmless presentation error.
His shows whose reaction it is. Schadenfreude remains the name of the feeling.
She admitted to a feeling of schadenfreude after the loud campaign collapsed.
A feeling of gives a natural noun phrase without changing the meaning.
Which phrase is more natural: a schadenfreude or a feeling of schadenfreude?
Use a feeling of schadenfreude. The word itself usually names a general, uncountable feeling.
Separate schadenfreude from relief
Relief is the feeling that worry, pressure, or danger has ended. It can happen after a difficult competition, argument, or task. You can be relieved without wanting another person to lose. Schadenfreude requires pleasure at the other person's misfortune.
Mara felt relieved when the stressful competition ended.
The sentence explains that stress ended. It does not say that Mara enjoyed the rival's failure.
Can someone feel relief without feeling schadenfreude?
Yes. A person can be glad that pressure is over without taking pleasure in anyone else's trouble.
Separate it from a sense of fairness
People sometimes think a bad result is deserved. A sense of fairness is a judgment that the result seems right. Schadenfreude is the enjoyment of the person's problem. The two reactions can appear together, but one does not automatically include the other.
There was a sense of fairness when the manager who ignored the rules received the same penalty.
The sentence judges the penalty as fair. It does not say that anyone enjoyed the manager's trouble.
What extra idea does schadenfreude add to a sense of fairness?
It adds pleasure at the other person's misfortune. A sense of fairness judges the outcome as fair.
Choose the word's tone with care
The word can sound self-critical when speakers admit their own reaction. It can also criticize a group that treats another person's failure as entertainment. A light example may involve a harmless contest or a small mistake. Avoid the word when it would make serious suffering sound amusing.
The teacher asked the class to discuss the mistake without schadenfreude.
The teacher asks for a useful discussion instead of pleasure at somebody's discomfort.
Why might schadenfreude be unsuitable after a serious loss?
The word can make another person's suffering sound entertaining or deserved, which is insensitive in a serious situation.
Use it in reflective or analytical writing
Schadenfreude often appears in essays, reviews, journalism, and conversations that examine a reaction. In casual speech, a simpler phrase such as enjoying someone else's bad luck may be clearer. Use schadenfreude when its precise meaning and thoughtful tone add something to the sentence.
The commentator described online schadenfreude after the team's unexpected defeat.
The word helps the commentator name a particular reaction to the defeat without celebrating it.
What simpler phrase could you use in a casual conversation?
You could say enjoying someone else's bad luck, while remembering that the phrase can still sound unkind.
Before you go
Remember this
Use schadenfreude for pleasure at another person's misfortune. It is a noun, often used after feel or in a phrase such as a feeling of schadenfreude. Keep it separate from relief and fairness: neither requires enjoyment of another person's trouble. The word often has a critical tone, so match it to the seriousness of the situation.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Schadenfreude: meaning and careful use"
What does schadenfreude mean?
Schadenfreude means pleasure at another person's trouble, failure, embarrassment, or bad luck. It describes the reaction of the person who enjoys the misfortune, rather than the misfortune itself. The word often suggests that the reaction is unkind or uncomfortable.
Mara admitted to a little schadenfreude when her rival's overconfident plan failed.
Is schadenfreude a noun?
Yes. Schadenfreude is a noun for a general feeling. You can say that someone feels schadenfreude, shows schadenfreude, or admits to a feeling of schadenfreude. A feeling of schadenfreude is often more natural than a schadenfreude because the word is usually treated as uncountable.
Mara felt relieved when the stressful competition ended.
What is the difference between schadenfreude and relief?
Relief means that worry, tension, or pressure has ended. Schadenfreude includes enjoyment at another person's trouble. A person can be relieved that a difficult event is over without being pleased that someone else failed, so the two words should not be treated as the same.
The article avoided schadenfreude and examined what the company could learn from the setback.
Does schadenfreude mean the same as a sense of fairness?
No. A sense of fairness is a judgment that a result seems right or deserved. Schadenfreude is pleasure at the other person's misfortune. Someone may think a penalty is fair without enjoying the person's difficulty, although both reactions can occur at the same time.
The article avoided speculation and examined what the company could learn from the setback.
Can schadenfreude sound rude or insensitive?
Yes. Schadenfreude can sound petty or cruel because it names pleasure at another person's problem. It may fit a harmless rivalry or a careful discussion of a reaction, but avoid it when the person has experienced serious harm, loss, illness, or hardship.
There was some schadenfreude when the manager who ignored the rules received the same penalty.