German word

Mühe

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈmyːə/

Meaning

  • feminine nouneffort

Example

Ich habe mir viel Mühe gegeben.

I put in a great deal of effort.

Illustration for Mühe (effort)

More examples

Er hatte große Mühe, das Formular auszufüllen.

He had great difficulty filling out the form.

Core concept

A task that requires sustained care and exertion, with the work itself felt as a burden.

Common phrases

  • große Mühe haben

    have great difficulty

  • Mühe aufwenden

    expend effort

  • sich Mühe machen

    take the trouble

Similar words

Bemühung: Effort involving repeated attempts to solve a problem.
Anstrengung: Intense effort requiring considerable force or concentration for a short time.

Definition in German

Anstrengung, Sorgfalt oder Aufwand, den jemand in eine Tätigkeit steckt.

Word origin

Mühe developed from Middle High German müeje or müehe and is related to the verb mühen, meaning to exert oneself.

Usage tips

  • The common pattern is sich Mühe geben, meaning to make an effort, with dative sich rather than a direct object.

Other meanings

  • troublenoun
  • difficultynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • mühentoilverb
  • Mühelosigkeiteffortlessnessnoun

Word lists with this word