denunzieren

German

Etymology

From Latin denuntiare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /denʊnˈtsiːʁən/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːʁən
• Hyphenation: de‧nun‧zie‧ren

Verb

1. to denounce, to inform against

   Sie denunzierte ihren Ex-Mann wegen Drogenbesitzes.

   She denounced her ex-husband for drug possession.

2. to denounce, to stigmatise

   Sie denunzierte ihren Ex-Mann öffentlich als „Schlappschwanz“.

   She publicly denounced her ex-husband as a “limpdick”.

Usage notes

• In both senses, the German verb implies that the denouncing is done for base motives and not for the sake of justice. Therefore, while German denunzieren can usually be translated with “to denounce”, the reverse is often not the case.

Derived terms

• Denunziant
• Denunziation
• denunziatorisch
• Denunzierung

Further reading

• “denunzieren” in Duden online