German word

indessen

Pronunciation

IPA/ɪnˈdɛsn̩/

Meaning

  • adverbhowever

Example

Sie versuchte es, indessen gelang es ihr nicht.

She tried it; however, she did not succeed.

Illustration for indessen (however)

More examples

Die Theorie klang überzeugend; indessen in der Praxis traten Schwierigkeiten auf.

The theory sounded convincing; however, difficulties arose in practice.

Core concept

Two events share one stretch of time, yet the second runs against the first.

Common phrases

  • indessen in der Praxis

    however, in practice

Similar words

allerdings: Adds a firm qualification or reservation to what was just stated.
trotzdem: Marks an unexpected continuation despite what might have prevented it, often casually.
inzwischen: Marks another event occurring as time passes or in the meantime.

Definition in German

Gebraucht, um einen Gegensatz zu markieren oder gleichzeitig stattfindende Vorgänge zu verbinden; stilistisch gehoben

Word origin

Indessen developed from the Middle High German phrase in des(s)en, meaning roughly 'in that time', and gained a contrastive sense alongside its temporal one.

Usage tips

  • Indessen is stylistically elevated and is more common in formal or literary prose than in casual conversation.

Other meanings

  • meanwhileadverb
  • on the other handadverb

Word lists with this word