German word

schräg

Pronunciation

IPA/ʃʁɛːk/

Meaning

  • adjectivetilted

Example

Das Bild ist schräg.

The picture is tilted.

Illustration for schräg (tilted)

More examples

Seine Bemerkung war schräg.

His remark was odd.

Core concept

A surface or object leans diagonally instead of meeting the eye in straight alignment; beyond objects, the lean suggests unusualness.

Common phrases

  • schräg gegenüber

    diagonally opposite

  • in schräger Position

    in a tilted position

  • ein schräger Winkel

    an oblique angle

Similar words

schief: Not straight, but tilted into an awkward position.
geneigt: Slightly tilted toward a particular direction.
merkwürdig: Unusually strange in a way that attracts attention.
komisch: Unusual in a way that seems funny or odd.

Definition in German

Von der Horizontalen oder Vertikalen in einem Winkel abweichend; geneigt oder schief stehend.

Word origin

German schräg descends from Old High German scrāg through Middle High German, with early forms referring to an oblique or slanting position.

Usage tips

  • After sein and in adverbial use, schräg stays uninflected, unlike its attributive forms.

Other meanings

  • at an angleadverb
  • oddadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • die Schrägeslopenoun
  • der Schrägstrichslashnoun
  • schrägstellentiltverb

Word lists with this word