epicaricacy

Meaning

Rejoicing at or deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others.

Synonyms

schadenfreude

malicious joy

Translations

Schadenfreude

χαιρεκακία

joie maligne

leedvermaak

gioia maligna

joie mauvaise

schadenfreude

malevolentia

cherekakía

escárnio

schadenfreude

Schadenfreude

satisfacción malévola

epicaricacia

alegría maligna

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌɛpɪˈkæɹɪkəsi/

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐπιχαιρεκακία (epikhairekakía, “joy upon evil”). The word appears in most of the editions of Nathaniel Bailey's dictionary and many dictionaries that came after. Linguist Joseph T. Shipley included it in his Dictionary of Early English (1963), citing Bailey. Evidence of actual usage seems scant until it was picked up by various "interesting word" websites around the turn of the twenty-first century.