Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun rare Rejoicing at or derivation of pleasure from the misfortunes of others.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí, "upon") + χάρις (kháris, "joy") + κακός (kakós, "evil").

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Examples

  • I think the English equivalent you're looking for is "epicaricacy".

    Ian Anderson and The Zeitgeist Follies 2005

  • You may first want to look up the meaning of 'epicaricacy'.

    Scientific Blogging 2010

  • It is “epicaricacy” which means rejoicing at, taking fun in, or getting pleasure from the misfortune of others.

    English Schadenfreude 2010

  • The fact that the Greek construct epicaricacy might possibly be used by English people (I have never heard of it) does not mean it is any more English than schadenfreude.

    Giving evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, Tony Blair said: “I... 2010

  • OED 2nd edition: epicanthus epicardium epicarp but no epicaricacy.

    Giving evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, Tony Blair said: “I... 2010

  • It is “epicaricacy” which means rejoicing at, taking fun in, or getting pleasure from the misfortune of others.

    English Schadenfreude 2010

  • It is “epicaricacy” which means rejoicing at, taking fun in, or getting pleasure from the misfortune of others.

    Giving evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, Tony Blair said: “I... 2010

  • With my usual dose of apathy tossed in with a dash of schadenfreude (also known as epicaricacy), all I have to say is that whoever gets hit by the trojan has no one to blame but themselves -- besides, it's not the end of the world -- they're virtual items, for pete's sake!

    Crime Moves to Virtual Worlds 2005

  • His club make no apologies for having ambition, and nor should they, but a degree of epicaricacy (the English word for Schadenfreude, don't let anyone tell you there isn't one) when things go wrong comes with the territory.

    Home | Mail Online 2010

  • His club make no apologies for having ambition, and nor should they, but a degree of epicaricacy (the English word for Schadenfreude, don't let anyone tell you there isn't one) when things go wrong comes with the territory.

    Home | Mail Online 2010

Comments

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  • Epicaricacy is the English word for Schadenfreude. I first found this word in Novobatzky and Shea's "Depraved and Insulting English." Ammon Shea then came to our discussion board (Wordcraft) to explain his citation: "To the best of my knowledge the word first appeared in Nathaniel Bailey's Universal Etymological English Dictionary. I think that the first edition was published in 1727 and it went through 20 or 22 subsequent editions. He spells the word differently and defines it thusly: Epicharikaky - A joy at the misfortunes of others. The etymology is from the Greek epi (upon) + chara (joy) + kakon (evil). I have seen it in a number of other books with what appears to be the modernized spelling. I can't remember all of these sources off the top of my head but aside of Mrs. Byrnes it also appears in a book of obscure words by Paul Dickson. I think Joseph Shipley may have it in his Dictionary of Early English.

    I'm hardly a scholar in such matters but I would say that the words in Bailey's Dictionary are rarely hapax, imaginary or inkhorns. Although he compiled his dictionary shortly after the inkhorn craze of Phillips, Blount and Bullokar he seems to have taken a somewhat more grounded approach to compiling his word list and would see no reason to doubt the authenticity of the word."

    Currently, there are 797 Google hits for "epicaricacy," and it is cited in the following online dictionaries, cited by Onelook: Wikipedia, Worthless Word for the Day, Wiktionary, and Luciferous Logolepsy. On Wordcraft alone we've mentioned it 256 times.

    No one is sure why it never was printed in the OED, though skeptics say that it was a mistake in Bailey's.

    It's my favorite word!

    September 19, 2007

  • A much better word than... you know. Finally I can reference the concept without speaking that which must never be spoken! ;-)

    September 20, 2007

  • Oh, joy! I'm so happy for ALL of us! ;-)

    September 20, 2007

  • Am I right in thinking this word is pronounced epi-kari-ka-see? ^_^ I'm totally going to bust this one out in lieu of the overused but beautiful schadenfreude...

    October 21, 2007

  • That's how I pronounce it, Koani.

    October 21, 2007

  • Many thanks, seanahan!

    October 22, 2007

  • What? Koani? No, say it isn't true! There is nothing... beautiful... about that, that, "word." Please, take it back!

    October 22, 2007

  • AAAAAGH! Take it back! Hurry, before someone else adds That Which Must Not Be Named!

    *crossing fingers, lighting candles, rubbing rabbit's foot, all rather dexterously too*

    October 22, 2007

  • *grins evilly* Shan't!

    October 23, 2007

  • quoted in the guardian letters

    November 18, 2008

  • This is my second attempt to reach you, but it's not the program's fault.

    Anyway...

    I can't remember where or exactly when I found it but when I first noticed it perhaps 2 years ago. I printed it out and placed it on the wall by my computer.

    I have seen it used once again, perhaps it was in a news article.

    When I looked it up,(I don't remember where, it gave the origin as Germanic

    "schadenfreude." and it meant taking pleasure in another's misfortune. The accent is on the ik'.

    ? I wouldn't know how to use it in a sentence.

    Clara Watkins

    April 3, 2009

  • I don't realy know how to use it in a sentance in this form.

    I guess a sentance would be,"He loves epicaricacy", or the definition, "He loves taking pleasure in another's misfortune."

    An equivalent word is the German "schadenfreude".

    This is all I could find and I don't remember where I found it.

    I found it used once,last year in a news article, too.

    Sorry!

    Clara Watkins

    cwatkins@kerrlake.com

    April 24, 2009

  • Today, I shall promote epicaricacy: pleasure engendered by the pain or misfortune of others. Or, when I for some reason am feeling less pedantic, English for schadenfreude.

    May 23, 2009

  • Currently, there are 797 Google hits for "epicaricacy," and it is cited in the following online dictionaries, cited by Onelook: Wikipedia, Worthless Word for the Day, Wiktionary, and Luciferous Logolepsy. On Wordcraft alone we've mentioned it 256 times.

    May 23, 2009

  • Rejoicing at or derivation of pleasure from the misfortunes of others

    June 21, 2009

  • Steven and his friends bent over double in epicaricacy at the sight of poor Janet tripping up the stairs and spilling papers all over the hall.

    June 22, 2009

  • Epicaricacy is the English word for Schadenfreude. I first found this word in Novobatzky and Shea's "Depraved and Insulting English." Ammon Shea then came to our discussion board (Wordcraft) to explain his citation: "To the best of my knowledge the word first appeared in Nathaniel Bailey's Universal Etymological English Dictionary. I think that the first edition was published in 1727 and it went through 20 or 22 subsequent editions. He spells the word differently and defines it thusly: Epicharikaky - A joy at the misfortunes of others. The etymology is from the Greek epi (upon) + chara (joy) + kakon (evil). I have seen it in a number of other books with what appears to be the modernized spelling. I can't remember all of these sources off the top of my head but aside of Mrs. Byrnes it also appears in a book of obscure words by Paul Dickson. I think Joseph Shipley may have it in his Dictionary of Early English.

    August 2, 2009

  • Contains the word "carica", the Botanical Latin genus name for papaya and its congeners. Epicaricacy could thus mean something completely different to a botanist.

    September 4, 2009

  • doesn't sound at all like its meaning. what IS the word for the quality of sounding like its meaning, anyway?

    September 29, 2009