zeitgeist

noun

zeit·geist ˈtsīt-ˌgīst ˈzīt-

often capitalized

: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

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Scholars have long maintained that each era has a unique spirit, a nature or climate that sets it apart from all others. In German, such a spirit is known as Zeitgeist, from the German words Zeit, meaning "time," and Geist, meaning "spirit" or "ghost." (This same Geist, when combined with poltern, meaning "to knock," led to the English word poltergeist referring to a noisy ghost.) It is common nowadays to read about something "tapping into" or "capturing" the zeitgeist, as doing so often entails popularity or profitability in appealing to a great many people, though sometimes the zeitgeist of a particular time and place is only recognized in hindsight, either due to nostalgia or with the benefit of (one hopes) greater wisdom.

Examples of zeitgeist in a Sentence

His songs perfectly captured the zeitgeist of 1960s America.

Recent Examples on the Web

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This World Oceans Day, SailGP—the high-speed, close-to-shore international sailing championship where national teams race identical F50 catamarans at iconic venues around the world—is having a zeitgeist moment. —Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025 Today, in a zeitgeist fixated on biohacking and self-optimization, mushrooms are now tools for functional wellness. —Boutayna Chokrane, Wired News, 28 May 2025 The early aughts marked the death rattle of a coherent zeitgeist. —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025 The festival has routinely reminded guests of its dress code, regardless of the cultural zeitgeist. —Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén, The Conversation, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for zeitgeist