Firgun
Firgun is taking uncomplicated pleasure in someone else's good news, with nothing in it for you — and saying so out loud, generously and without an agenda.
Full definition of Firgun →:: COMPARE ::
FirgunvsSchadenfreude
The short answer
Exact inverses — and here's the thing they share: both had to be imported. Schadenfreude was borrowed into English because English never grew its own; firgun was borrowed into Hebrew from Yiddish. Neither language produced its own word for its own feeling.
Side by side
| Aspect | Firgun | Schadenfreude |
|---|---|---|
| Their good news | Delights you | — |
| Their bad news | — | Delights you |
| Native to its language | No | Yes |
| Borrowed from | Yiddish | German |
What each one means
Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude is pleasure taken in someone else's misfortune — a completely ordinary German word that English borrowed and made exotic.
Full definition of Schadenfreude →