Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. A mixture of delight and guilt felt when a colleague, whom you despise, suffers a misfortune. v. To feel bad about feeling good when something bad happens to someone who is definitely not good.
Verboticisms
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.
Schadenfraud
Created by: Javeson1
Pronunciation: shawd-en-frawd
Sentence: When the guy who dumped her wound up on the front page for his incredible feat of having fallen out a third story window and barely survived, Mimi, who was invited to his funeral, was incredibly overcome with shadenfraud when she had to play nice to his friends and family.
Etymology: fraud (fake, deceiving) + schadenfreude (german for happiness at the misfortune of others -- something we are all guilty of)
Trainwreckspotter
Created by: splendiction
Pronunciation: TRAIN rek spot er
Sentence: Jordan's last ditch effort to please the clients would fail badly. They were not impressed with her cheap plastic advertising pens that glowed in the dark. In fact her ad plan turned out to be a complete disaster when the pens didn't glow but instead leaked. Normally Jordan teamed up with Sass and they would share their strengths. This time Jordan greedily went solo - searching glory - while Sass moped around waiting for another bid. She secretly knew Jordan couldn't go it alone successfully - Jordan lacked judgement! Jordan's clients began to lose interest and backed away from the big job (which could have brought in much needed big profits for the company). Instead of helping, her jealous colleague Sass trainwreckspotted Jordan get the boot.
Etymology: From: trainspotter and trainwreck.
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COMMENTS:
Talk about derailment...good word! - Nosila, 2009-10-09: 23:05:00
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Sympathighfive
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: simp/ah/thy/five
Sentence: It was difficult to sympathighfive with her colleague as she was escorted to the door by security guards.
Etymology: sympathize + high five
Maltriumph
Created by: WindingRoad
Pronunciation: MAL-trahy-uhmf
Sentence: Betty squirmed with maltriumph upon hearing about Greg's demotion.
Etymology: Mal (from L malignus [bad]) + triumph (from ME triumphe [victory])
Schuldeschadenfreude
Created by: catgrin
Pronunciation: shool-de-shahd-n-froi-duh
Sentence: Kathy'd thought of herself as a "mean girl" so her schuldeschadenfreude at Betty's car accident (Betty'd always flaunted that Mercedes!) was something of a shock.
Etymology: Basically a compound German word, this is based on a combination of "Schuld" (guilt) and "Schadenfreude" (pleasure at the misfortune of others) which is an already accepted, and surprisingly rarely used word in the English language.
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COMMENTS:
I schuld've known! - Alchemist, 2007-03-23: 07:40:00
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Melanjolly
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: mel-uhn-jol-ee
Sentence: Joyce had a case of menanjolly when she heard that her major rival was being let go over a conflict of interest issue. The fact that she had presented him with the opportunity to do so pinged on her conscience just a little, but she got over that quickly.
Etymology: melancholy (depressed, sad) + jolly (laughing, joyful)
Remirth
Created by: mcpuffersons
Pronunciation: re-murth
Sentence: Jane was filled with remirth when she found that John hadn't gotten the promotion he had wanted.
Etymology: remorse + mirth.
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COMMENTS:
Maybe all that emotion was brought on by her terrible lisp. - petaj, 2007-03-25: 04:15:00
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Elatshame
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: e/lay/shame
Sentence: "There's Joe that no good rotten pig. I wish he would die!!!" thought Jenny as Joe entered the office. At that moment, Joe tripped, fell and hit his head. Jenny was shocked, surprised and filled with elatshame.
Etymology: ELATSHAME - noun - from - ELATION (an exhilarating psychological state) + SHAME (the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, or improper)
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COMMENTS:
terrific - Jabberwocky, 2008-06-16: 12:33:00
too bad jenny mistook joe for george. - stache, 2008-06-16: 23:59:00
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Tribyelation
Created by: TimTheEnchanter
Pronunciation: trib-yee-LAY-shun
Sentence: Sandra hated the way her neighbor Kelly reminded everyone of how the only things more perfect than her life were her perfect little children. Thus, Sandra was overcome by a profound sense of tribyelation when she heard Kelly's youngest child was caught selling drugs at school and the oldest was pregnant.
Etymology: Tribulation - (misfortune, a trying experience) + Elation (the state of being filled with joy)
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COMMENTS:
great combo - Jabberwocky, 2008-06-16: 12:28:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by Discoveria.
Thank you Discoveria! ~ James
Discoveria - 2007-03-23: 10:56:00
That was quick...
ErWenn - 2007-03-23: 10:56:00
Don't really know how to top schuldeshadenfreude here.
mplsbohemian - 2007-03-24: 22:20:00
The trouble is that there is a word for this in English: schadenfreude.
Discoveria - 2007-03-26: 12:07:00
I've been told already. catgrin and James decided that schadenfreude refers to the satisfaction, and this verboticism refers to feeling guilt over having that satisfaction.
Hey mplsbohemian, Alchemist summed it up nicely with etymology for Guiltenfreude: "schadenfreude (pleasure at the misfortune of others) with guilt."
Today's definition was suggested by Discoveria. Thank you Discoveria. ~ James