Weltschmerz dictionary definition

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Weltschmerz

Welt·schmerz

sentimental pessimism or melancholy over the state of the world

Origin of Weltschmerz

Ger, world pain

noun

Sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism.

Origin of Weltschmerz

German Welt world ; see Weltanschauung . Schmerz pain ( from Middle High German smërze ) ( from Old High German smerzo )

Noun

(uncountable)

(sometimes capitalized) World-weariness; an apathetic or pessimistic view of life; depression concerning or discomfort with the human condition or state of the world.

Origin

Loanword from German Weltschmerz, literally Welt (“world") + Schmerz (“ache, pain").

See James Sully, Pessimism: A History and a Criticism (1877); Caro, Le Pessimisme au xix e siecle (1878); Saltus, The Anatomy of Negation (1886); Tulloch, Modern Theories on Philosophy and Religion (1884); William James, The Will to Believe; Duhring, Der Werth des Lebens (1865); Meyer, Weltelend and Weltschmerz (1872); E.
The workings of this Will are irrational primarily, but, as in its evolution it becomes more rationalized and understands the whole meaning of the Weltschmerz, it ultimately reaches the point at which the desire for existence is gone.