watch the world burn
To watch the chaos, pain or death that results from the actions of others or oneself with an attitude of detachment or indifference.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Some people just want to watch the world burn.”
“You watch the world burn when you start fights for no reason.”
“They enjoy watching the world burn by spreading false rumors online.”
“He ignored the consequences of his reckless decisions, as if he simply wanted to watch the world burn.”
“She deleted the entire group chat after the argument, happy to just sit back and watch the world burn while everyone panicked.”
“The manager quit without leaving any instructions, seemingly content to watch the world burn as the project failed.”
“The villain sat in his high tower, observing the chaos below with a cold, detached desire to watch the world burn.”
first recorded 21st c.
The phrase was popularised by the 2008 film The Dark Knight. It originates in a line of dialogue regarding the motives of the antagonist, the Joker, and specifically addresses the notion of an individual whose primary aim is the observation of chaos rather than personal gain.
- 01
all over the world
throughout the world, everywhere, worldwide, globally.
- 02
best of both worlds
A combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits.
- 03
burn a hole in someone's pocket
To cause someone to spend money or be tempted to spend money.
- 04
burn bread
To cause something unfortunate to happen to (someone) by mentioning it; to jinx something for (someone).
- 05
burn daylight
To waste time.
- 06
burn one's bridges
To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally.
- 07
burn one's fingers
To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.
- 08
burn out
To make (someone) unavailable for work involving exposure to ionizing radiation by employing (the person) in such work until the person's accumulated exposure reaches the maximum permitted for an administrative period, typically a year.
Last updated August 10, 2026