German Conversation · Level 12
90 words
German word
dumm
Pronunciation
IPA/dʊm/
Meaning
- adjectivestupid
Example
Das ist eine dumme Idee.
That's a stupid idea.
More examples
Er machte einen dummen Fehler.
He made a stupid mistake.
Core concept
A poorly considered idea or action that shows weak judgment rather than careful thought.
Common phrases
eine dumme Idee
a stupid idea
dumm von dir
stupid of you
ein dummer Fehler
a stupid mistake
Similar words
doof: A familiar, lightly insulting way to describe someone as not very clever.
blöd: Informally describing an ill-advised act or idea with troublesome results.
unüberlegt: Not carefully considered before being said or done.
albern: Silly and childish in a way that lacks appropriate seriousness.
Definition in German
Beschreibt Situationen, Entscheidungen oder Aussagen, die unklug oder wenig durchdacht sind; oft abwertend gebraucht.
Word origin
German dumm developed from Old High German tumb, meaning mute or unable to speak, and shares this Germanic origin with English dumb.
Usage tips
- Dumm can sound openly insulting when applied to a person, while dumm in phrases such as dumm gelaufen often describes an unfortunate situation rather than intelligence.
Other meanings
- foolishadjective
- sillyadjective
- senselessadjective
Opposites
- klugcleveradjective
- intelligentintelligentadjective
Related words
- Dummheitstupiditynoun
- Dummkopfidiotnoun
- verdummenbecome stupidverb