What does "lebenswelt" mean?

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

What is a synonym for "lebenswelt"?

Common synonyms include: lifeworld, lifeworld.

How do you pronounce "lebenswelt"?

Pronounced //ˈleːbənzvɛlt//.

Lebenswelt

//ˈleːbənzvɛlt// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The sum total of all immediate phenomena which constitute the world of an individual or of a corporate life; life-world. uncountable, usually
"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, →ISBN The mind, for the idealist, creates the world we live in, the ‘Lebenswelt’ of our thoughts, imaginings, and perceptions."

Synonyms

All synonyms

lifeworld lifeworld

Example

More examples

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

Etymology

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

Related phrases

life world

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.