Words / C2

ZYTG-yst/ˈzaɪtɡaɪst/

The zeitgeist is the typical mood and set of ideas of a period — “the spirit of the time.” Critics and journalists use it when a film or slogan seems to bottle an era. In speech the mood of the time is plainer; zeitgeist is a German loan that can sound try-hard if you force it into small talk.

Meaning

The typical ideas and mood of a particular period.

Examples

• “The novel captures the zeitgeist of the 1990s.”
• “The advert misread the zeitgeist and flopped.”
• “Podcasts became part of the cultural zeitgeist that decade.”

Good to know

the zeitgeist of + period. Everyday: the mood of the time.

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