German word

matt

Pronunciation

IPA/mat/

Meaning

  • adjectivetired

Example

Ich bin matt.

I am tired.

Illustration for matt (tired)

More examples

Bei Hitze wurde er schnell matt.

He soon grew tired in the heat.

Core concept

A person moves as if the body's energy and the mind's spark have both gone flat, like a surface that has lost its shine.

Common phrases

  • matt vor Müdigkeit

    weary with fatigue

  • matt und kraftlos

    listless and weak

Similar words

müde: Feeling tired or sleepy and needing sleep or rest.
schlapp: Slightly tired, with little drive to move.
erschöpft: So exhausted that rest does not restore physical or mental energy.
schwach: Feeling too weak to move with normal physical strength.

Definition in German

Ohne Energie oder Elan, so dass man sich schwach und unmotiviert fühlt.

Word origin

German matt is attested in Old High German as mat(t)i and in Middle High German as mat, with the older sense of weakness or exhaustion.

Usage tips

  • German matt can describe a person's condition as well as a dull surface, while English matte is normally limited to surface finish.

Other meanings

  • listlessadjective
  • dulladjective
  • matteadjective

Opposites

  • erholtrecoveredadjective
  • fitfitadjective

Related words

  • Mattigkeitlassitudenoun

Word lists with this word