zeitgeist
/ˈzʌɪtɡʌɪst
/noun [in singular]
The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time: the story captured the zeitgeist of the late 1960s...
- When the young Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, the musical zeitgeist was defined by Haydn and Mozart.
- In many ways the Perrons' story captured the zeitgeist last year.
- The stories capture the zeitgeist of the experience, if not the objective reality.
Derivatives
zeitgeisty
- To hear some people talk, their subsequent actions amount to a cautionary tale about this most zeitgeisty side of modern capitalism.
- Hitching a lift on such a zeitgeisty channel could be the making of a rookie presenter's career.
- The idea of "respect" in politics seemed so zeitgeisty a couple of years ago but today it's almost a dirty word.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from German Zeitgeist, from Zeit 'time' + Geist 'spirit'.