German word

gemeinnützig

Pronunciation

IPA/gəˈmaɪ̯nˌnʏt͡sɪç/

Meaning

  • adjectivenonprofit

Example

Die gemeinnützige Organisation hilft vielen Menschen.

The nonprofit organization helps many people.

Illustration for gemeinnützig (nonprofit)

More examples

Die gemeinnützige Organisation bietet kostenlose Sprachkurse an.

The nonprofit organization offers free language courses.

Core concept

A public-serving organization directs its work toward community benefit rather than treating profit as its main goal.

Common phrases

  • gemeinnützige Organisation

    nonprofit organization

  • gemeinnützige Stiftung

    nonprofit foundation

  • gemeinnützige Zwecke

    charitable purposes

Similar words

wohltätig: Offering charitable help to people facing hardship.
gemeinwohlorientiert: Guided by the interests and welfare of the community as a whole.
ehrenamtlich: Performed willingly without receiving monetary compensation.

Definition in German

Bezeichnet eine Einrichtung oder Tätigkeit, die dem Allgemeinwohl zugutekommt und nicht primär auf Gewinnerzielung ausgelegt ist.

Word origin

Gemeinnützig combines gemein, meaning common or public, with nützig, related to nutzen, meaning to be useful.

Usage tips

  • In German legal and tax contexts, gemeinnützig often denotes recognized public-benefit status, not merely any organization that does not distribute profits.

Other meanings

  • public-benefitadjective
  • charitableadjective

Opposites

  • profitorientiertprofit-orientedadjective
  • kommerziellcommercialadjective

Related words

  • Gemeinnützigkeitpublic-benefit statusnoun
  • Gemeinnützigkeitsstatusnonprofit statusnoun

Word lists with this word