schlecht

See also: Schlecht

German

Etymology

From Middle High German sleht, from Old High German sleht (see also schlicht), from Proto-Germanic *slihtaz. Cognate with English slight, Dutch slecht, Afrikaans sleg, Icelandic sléttur, Faroese slættur, Swedish slätt, Danish slet, and Norwegian slett.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃlɛçt/
• Rhymes: -ɛçt

• Audio:

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• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

schlecht (comparative schlechter, superlative am schlechtesten)

1. bad, evil, wicked (the opposite of good; immoral)

   ein schlechter Mensch ― a bad person

2. bad (unskilled; of limited ability)

   sie ist schlecht in Mathe ― she is bad at maths

3. bad (unhealthy, unwell)

   schlecht für jemanden sein ― to be bad for somebody

4. bad (of poor physical appearance)

   schlecht aussehen ― to look bad

5. bad, off (spoiled, rotten, overripe)

   schlecht werden ― to go off, to go bad

6. dirty (dishonourable)

Derived terms

• einen schlechten Tag haben (“have an off-day/off day”)
• schlechthin
• Schlechtigkeit
• schlechtmachen
• Schlechtsein
• verschlechtern

Adverb

schlecht

1. badly, poorly, not well (in a bad or poor manner)
2. with difficulty, not easily

See also

• schlimm
• übel
• böse

Further reading

• “schlecht” in Duden online
• Schlecht in online Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm

an exhaustive etymology giving historical literary examples of inversion from positive to negative meaning in centuries since the Renaissance at woerterbuchnetz.de/DWB (Berlin Brandenburg Akadamie der Wissenschaft zu Gottingen © 1998—2014, Trier Center for Digital Humanities)

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Hunsrik

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃleçt/

Adjective

schlecht (comparative schlechter, superlative schlechtest)

1. bad, evil, wicked

Derived terms

• Schlechtichkeet

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

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Luxembourgish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃlæɕt/

Adjective

schlecht (masculine schlechten, neuter schlecht, comparative méi schlecht, superlative am schlechtsten)

1. bad

Declension

declension of schlecht

number and gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		hien ass schlecht	si ass schlecht	et ass schlecht	si si(nn) schlecht
nominative / accusative	attributive and/or after determiner	schlechten	schlecht	schlecht	schlecht
	independent without determiner			schlechtes	schlechter
dative	after any declined word	schlechten	schlechter	schlechten	schlechten
	as first declined word	schlechtem		schlechtem

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Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German schlecht, Dutch slecht.

Adjective

schlecht

1. bad
2. wicked

Adverb

schlecht

1. poorly