zeitgeist

[tsahyt-, zahyt-gahyst] / ˈtsaɪt-, ˈzaɪtˌgaɪst /

NOUN

spirit of the time

Synonyms

STRONG

climate outlook spirit trend

WEAK

ambience atmosphere disposition feeling flavor inclination leaning milieu movement tendency tenor tone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When people are making things that are of time, it’s responding to the zeitgeist or weird ideas around marketing and what’s popular.

From Los Angeles Times

White occupies a unique position in the zeitgeist.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ethan Hawke: It’s just funny, the amount of energy it takes to kind of penetrate the zeitgeist today is a lot more than it used to be.

From Los Angeles Times

But something about Pokémon has captured the zeitgeist.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Sinners” was one of the few zeitgeist defining movies of recent years in part because millions of us saw it together, in theaters, in the span of a few weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal