German word

blass

Pronunciation

IPA/blas/

Meaning

  • adjectivepale

Example

Ein blasser Mann kam herein.

A pale man came in.

Illustration for blass (pale)

More examples

Beim Anblick des Unfalls wurde er plötzlich blass.

At the sight of the accident, he suddenly turned pale.

Core concept

A face or surface has lost its strong color, whether through fear, illness, exhaustion, or fading.

Common phrases

  • blass vor Schreck

    pale with fright

  • blass aussehen

    look pale

  • blass im Gesicht

    pale in the face

Similar words

bleich: Bloodless and suddenly pale, often from shock or poor circulation.
fahl: Sallow and washed-out, with a slightly yellowish tone.
aschfahl: Grayish-white and exceptionally dull or pale.
leichenblass: Pale to an alarming, deathlike degree.

Definition in German

hell und ohne kräftige Farbe, besonders bei Haut und Gesicht; oft Folge von Krankheit, Angst oder Erschöpfung.

Word origin

Blass comes through Middle High German blas from Old High German blās, an inherited Germanic word for a light or pale color.

Usage tips

  • Before a noun, blass takes normal adjective endings, as in ein blasser Mann, while it stays unchanged after sein: Der Mann ist blass.

Other meanings

  • wanadjective
  • lightadjective

Opposites

  • rosigrosyadjective
  • gebräunttannedadjective

Related words

  • Blässepalenessnoun
  • blasshäutigpale-skinnedadjective

Word lists with this word