German word

blöde

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈbløːdə/

Meaning

  • adjectivesilly

Example

Das sind blöde Witze.

Those are silly jokes.

Illustration for blöde (silly)

More examples

Das war eine blöde Bemerkung.

That was a silly remark.

Core concept

A flat joke, pointless idea, or minor mishap that makes an ordinary moment irritating.

Common phrases

  • blöde Situation

    silly situation

  • blöde Bemerkung

    silly remark

  • blöde Sache

    silly thing

Similar words

doof: Informally foolish and dull rather than genuinely funny or interesting.
dumm: Reflecting a lack of intelligence or sound judgment.
sinnlos: Without a useful purpose or reason for being done.
albern: Foolish in a childish, playful, or unserious way.

Definition in German

bezeichnet umgangssprachlich etwas, das unnötig schlicht oder unsinnig wirkt und deshalb abwertend empfunden wird

Word origin

The adjective comes from Old High German blōd, meaning weak or feeble, and its meaning later extended to foolish or unsatisfactory things.

Usage tips

  • In colloquial complaints, blöde can describe something annoying or unfortunate, so English stupid is not always the best translation.

Other meanings

  • stupidadjective
  • unfortunateadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • Blödsinndrivelnoun
  • Blödmannfoolnoun
  • blödsinnigabsurdadjective

Word lists with this word