Lebenswelt

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/ˈleːbənzvɛlt/

noun

The sum total of all immediate phenomena which constitute the world of an individual or of a corporate life; life-world.

OriginGerman Lebenswelt →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounLebenswelt (usually uncountable, plural Lebenswelten)

plural Lebenswelten

  1. uncountableusuallyThe sum total of all immediate phenomena which constitute the world of an individual or of a corporate life; life-world.

    The mind, for the idealist, creates the world we live in, the ‘Lebenswelt’ of our thoughts, imaginings, and perceptions.

    1999, Simon Blackburn, Think: A compelling introduction to philosophy, chapter 7: The World, section 7: The Eye of the Beholder, page 260 (Oxford University Press, paperback)

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
lifeworld

Origin

  1. GermanLebenswelt
  2. EnglishLebenswelt

From German Lebenswelt: Leben (“life”) + Welt (“world”).

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Lebenswelt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lebenswelt

MLA

“Lebenswelt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lebenswelt. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lebenswelt,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lebenswelt.

Source: Lebenswelt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.