German word

besondere

Pronunciation

IPA/bəˈzɔndəʁə/

Meaning

  • adjectivespecial

Example

Das ist eine besondere Gelegenheit.

This is a special occasion.

Illustration for besondere (special)

More examples

Die Stadt hat eine besondere Atmosphäre.

The city has a special atmosphere.

Core concept

A familiar scene contains one clearly marked element that differs from the rest and therefore attracts notice.

Common phrases

  • eine besondere Gelegenheit

    a special occasion

  • auf besondere Weise

    in a special way

Similar words

speziell: Designed or adapted for a particular purpose or situation.
außergewöhnlich: Unusually rare or striking compared with what is normal.
auffällig: Noticeable because its appearance or behavior strongly draws attention.
einzigartig: One of a kind, with no identical counterpart.

Definition in German

Etwas, das sich vom Gewohnten unterscheidet und dadurch auffällt, ohne notwendigerweise positiv oder negativ bewertet zu sein.

Word origin

The adjective besonder developed from older German besunder and bisuntar, terms for something set apart or separate.

Usage tips

  • Besondere is an inflected adjective, so its ending changes with gender, case, number, and the determiner, as in eine besondere Gelegenheit.

Other meanings

  • extraordinaryadjective
  • exceptionaladjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word