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.

But the zeitgeist around the internet was that it would connect the world and improve lives.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 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 for 30 years we did our best to make him part of L.A.’s artistic zeitgeist.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

A stage adaptation can’t duplicate the way Lumet visually distilled the rough-and-tumble New York zeitgeist of the tumultuous early 1970s.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

It went on and vanished among the fronds of a distant island; but the calm had been broken, and through all the stems there ran a restless sense of anticipation, a zeitgeist of prophetic import.

From Edge of the Jungle by Beebe, William