German word

unsinnig

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈʊnˌzɪnɪç/

Meaning

  • adjectivemeaningless

Example

Das ist ein unsinniger Vorschlag.

That is a meaningless proposal.

Illustration for unsinnig (meaningless)

More examples

Es ist unsinnig, teure Geräte ohne Garantie zu kaufen.

It is meaningless to buy expensive devices without a warranty.

Core concept

A proposal whose parts fail to form a sensible idea or useful result.

Common phrases

  • völlig unsinnig

    completely meaningless

  • unsinnige Handlung

    meaningless action

Similar words

sinnlos: Serving no purpose and producing no worthwhile effect.
absurd: Defying logic and appearing completely unreasonable.
lächerlich: So foolish or inappropriate that it seems laughable.
verrückt: Seeming wildly impractical and out of touch with reality.

Definition in German

ohne erkennbaren Sinn oder Zweck; nicht vernünftig

Word origin

Unsinnig combines the negating prefix un- with sinnig, formed from Sinn for sense or meaning, and describes what lacks sense.

Usage tips

  • Unsinnig usually describes an idea, statement, or action, while applying it directly to a person can sound insulting.

Other meanings

  • absurdadjective
  • foolishadjective
  • irrationaladjective

Opposites

  • sinnigmeaningfuladjective
  • vernünftigreasonableadjective

Related words

  • Unsinnnonsensenoun
  • Unsinnigkeitmeaninglessnessnoun
  • unsinnigerweisemeaninglesslyadverb

Word lists with this word