Epicaricacy is a human psychological response that entails the rejoicing at, taking joy in, or getting pleasure from the misfortunes of others. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek á¼?πί (epi), "upon") + χάρις (kharis), "joy") +κακÏŒς (kakos), "evil"). Its German langauge equivalent, schadenfreude, is commonly used as a loan word in English.
Epicaricacy has similarities to gloating, jealousy, sadism and sardonism.
Greek concept of epicaricacy Aristotle cited this emotion as part of his classifaction of virtues and emotions.
Usage in literature
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