Gutmensch

See also: gutmensch

German

Etymology

gut (“good”) +‎ Mensch (“person”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡuːtˌmɛnʃ/

• Audio:

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Noun

Gutmensch m (genitive Gutmenschen, plural Gutmenschen)

1. (derogatory) do-gooder; person who has a naïve and unreflected conviction of their own moral superiority
2. (derogatory, in particular) someone overly concerned with political correctness and related matters; a social justice warrior

Usage notes

• In contrast to the compound Gutmensch, the noun phrase (ein) guter Mensch means “a good person, someone of moral integrity” in the literal, positive sense.
• In contemporary German discourse, the word Gutmensch is most often associated with adherents of the postmaterialist middle-class left, though this is not a property of the word as such.

Descendants

• Dutch: gutmensch, goedmens