Definitions by Neostoics
Schadenmitgefühl
is a modern German neologism that combines Schadenfreude (“joy at another’s misfortune”) with Mitgefühl (“compassion, empathy”).
It describes the paradoxical feeling of taking a measured satisfaction in someone else’s suffering while simultaneously feeling genuine compassion for them. In other words, it’s the experience of both recognizing or even enjoying the justice, irony, or inevitability of another’s setback and still empathizing with their pain.
It describes the paradoxical feeling of taking a measured satisfaction in someone else’s suffering while simultaneously feeling genuine compassion for them. In other words, it’s the experience of both recognizing or even enjoying the justice, irony, or inevitability of another’s setback and still empathizing with their pain.
When the self centered girl used her ex-husband and he finally blocked her, I felt a strange mix of schadenfreude and pity – a genuine Schadenmitgefühl.
Schadenmitgefühl by Neostoics September 30, 2025