Schadenfreude (German) is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. The word derives from Schaden (damage, harm) and Freude (joy).

Can anybody think of an English word that describes this feeling? I love words borrowed from other languages when no English equivalent exists.  Another, friendlier example is the Buddhist concept of mudita, “sympathetic joy” or “happiness in another’s good fortune.”  It is sometimes cited as the opposite of schadenfreude.