German word

Konsum

Pronunciation

IPA/kɔnˈzuːm/

Meaning

  • masculine nounconsumption

Example

Ich versuche, meinen Konsum zu reduzieren.

I'm trying to cut down on my consumption.

Illustration for Konsum (consumption)

More examples

Viele Menschen leben in einer Konsumgesellschaft, und Konsum prägt ihren Alltag.

Many people live in a consumer society, and consumption shapes their daily lives.

Core concept

Shopping bags, meals, electricity, and subscriptions flow through daily life and add up to a society's habits.

Common phrases

  • den Konsum einschränken

    curb consumption

  • übermäßiger Konsum

    excessive consumption

  • der Konsum von Energie

    energy consumption

Similar words

Verbrauch: The amount or frequency of resources and energy used.
Ausgaben: The total money spent on goods and services.
Nachfrage: The amount of interest in goods or services within a market.
Konsumverhalten: The habits and patterns involved in buying goods and services.

Definition in German

Bezeichnet das wirtschaftliche Ausgeben und Nutzen von Gütern oder Dienstleistungen im Alltag und als gesellschaftliches Phänomen.

Word origin

Konsum is a learned borrowing ultimately from Latin consumere, meaning "use up" or "consume," which entered German through later European usage.

Usage tips

  • Konsum is masculine, so the definite article is der; it usually has no plural when referring to consumption as a general phenomenon.

Other meanings

  • consumerismnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • konsumierenconsumeverb
  • Konsumverhaltenconsumer behaviornoun
  • Konsumgesellschaftconsumer societynoun

Word lists with this word