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.

The show, which ran from 2004 to 2007 on NBC, was emblematic of the true-crime-obsessed, tabloid-fueled zeitgeist of the aughts.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The post-war zeitgeist also began putting them further and further out of favor as a preferred educational choice of some American parents for their sons.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

But these individual feats seem less important than the zeitgeist of the era.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

With the billionaire class getting hammered in the zeitgeist, I had wondered how our trip might go.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

People all over the world who are really secret agents for some other time zone, some other way of looking at the world, some other zeitgeist.

From Eastern Standard Tribe by Doctorow, Cory