schadenfroh
gleeful at others' misfortune, taking malicious pleasure
adjective SHAH-den-froh Rare
Usage Note
Schadenfroh is the adjectival form of the well-known compound Schadenfreude. It describes the active feeling or expression of pleasure at someone else's setback: ein schadenfrohes Grinsen.
Examples
"Sein schadenfroher Kommentar nach der Niederlage des Rivalen war beschämend."
Natural Translation
His gleeful comment after his rival's defeat was shameful.
Literal Translation
His malicious-pleasure comment after the rival's defeat was shameful.

Free starter pack
Building your German vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore German by topic
GermanNow
6 min read