griesgrämig, mürrisch, missmutig, verdrießlich

adjective
Louis sat alone, looking morose: sullen, sulky, gloomy, bad-tempered, ill-tempered, dour, surly, sour, glum, moody, ill-humored, melancholy, melancholic, brooding, broody, doleful, miserable, depressed, dejected, despondent, downcast, unhappy, low, down, grumpy, irritable, churlish, cantankerous, crotchety, cross, crabby, cranky, grouchy, testy, snappish, peevish, crusty; informal: blue, down in the dumps, down in/at the mouth. antonym: cheerful.

bockig, nervös, unruhig, widerspenstig

adjective
1 Edward is getting restive: uneasy, ill at ease, restless, fidgety, edgy, on edge, tense, worked up, nervous, agitated, anxious, on tenterhooks, keyed up; informal: jumpy, jittery, twitchy, uptight, antsy.
2 the militants are increasingly restive: unruly, disorderly, uncontrollable, unmanageable, willful, recalcitrant, insubordinate; formal: refractory; archaic: contumacious.

2 a willful child: headstrong, strong-willed, obstinate, stubborn, pigheaded, recalcitrant, uncooperative, obstreperous, ungovernable, unmanageable; balky; formal: refractory, contumacious. antonym: biddable, amenable.

recalcitrant
adjective
Amy was unprepared to deal with three recalcitrant stepchildren: uncooperative, intractable, obstreperous, truculent, insubordinate, defiant, rebellious, willful, wayward, headstrong, self-willed, contrary, perverse, difficult; formal: refractory; archaic: froward, contumacious. antonym: amenable.

amenable
adjective
1 an amenable child: cooperative, acquiescent, compliant, accommodating, obliging, biddable, manageable, controllable, governable, persuadable, tractable, responsive, pliant, malleable, complaisant, easily handled; rare: persuasible. antonym: uncooperative.
2 many cancers are amenable to treatment: susceptible, receptive, responsive; archaic: susceptive. antonym: unresponsive, resistant.

aufmüpfig, aufsässig

adjective

strahlend

adjective poetic/literary:
shining brightly; radiant.
• (of a person or their expression) emanating joy or goodness.

behindern, beladen, sich etwas aufbürden, versperren

verb
1 her movements were encumbered by her heavy skirts: hamper, hinder, obstruct, impede, cramp, inhibit, restrict, limit, constrain, restrain, bog down, retard, slow (down); inconvenience, disadvantage, handicap. See note at hinder .
2 they are encumbered with debt: burden, load, weigh down, saddle; overwhelm, tax, stress, strain, overload, overburden.

hinder
verb
budget cuts have hindered our progress: hamper, obstruct, impede, inhibit, retard, balk, prevent, thwart, foil, curb, delay, arrest, interfere with, set back, slow down, hobble, hold back, hold up, stop, halt; restrict, restrain, constrain, block, check, curtail, frustrate, cramp, handicap, cripple, hamstring; informal stymie, throw a wrench in the works. antonym: facilitate.

auslöschen, ausmerzen, ausradieren, tilgen; verstecken

verb
1 I briefly contemplated trying to obliterate the logo with nail polish remover: erase, eradicate, expunge, efface, wipe out, blot out, rub out, block out, remove all traces of.
2 I want to see the super-turtle obliterate an entire Japanese district in under a minute: destroy, wipe out, annihilate, demolish, eliminate, decimate, liquidate, wipe off the face of the earth, wipe off the map; informal zap, nuke. antonym: create.
3 she slapped her puff over her face, trying to obliterate it with powder: obscure, hide, conceal, blot out, block (out), cover, screen.

abbrühen, bleichen, erbleichen

verb
1 the moonlight blanches her hair: turn pale, whiten, lighten, wash out, fade. antonym: darken.
2 his face blanched: pale, turn pale, turn white, whiten, lose its color, lighten, fade. antonym: color, darken.
3 blanch the spinach leaves: scald, boil briefly.

dehnen, erweitern, sich weiten

verb
1 her nostrils dilated: enlarge, widen, expand, distend. antonym: contract.
2 Diane dilated on the joys of her married life: expatiate, expound, enlarge, elaborate, speak/write at length. antonym: contract.

contract
noun
a legally binding contract: agreement, commitment, arrangement, settlement, understanding, compact, covenant, bond; deal, bargain; Law: indenture.

verb
1 the market for such goods began to contract: shrink, get smaller, decrease, diminish, reduce, dwindle, decline. antonym: expand, increase.
2 her stomach muscles contracted: tighten, tense, flex, constrict, draw in, narrow. antonym: relax.
3 she contracted her brow: wrinkle, knit, crease, purse, pucker.
4 his name was soon contracted to “Rob”: shorten, abbreviate, cut, reduce; elide. antonym: expand, lengthen.
5 the company contracted to rebuild the stadium: undertake, pledge, promise, covenant, commit oneself, engage, agree, enter an agreement, make a deal.
6 she contracted rubella: develop, catch, get, pick up, come down with, be struck down by, be stricken with, succumb to.
7 he contracted a debt of $3,300: incur, run up.

bestimmen, festsetzen, ordinieren, zum Priester weihen

verb
1 the Church voted to ordain women: confer holy orders on, appoint, anoint, consecrate, hallow, bless, install, invest, induct.
2 the path ordained by fate: predetermine, predestine, preordain, destine, determine, prescribe, designate, will.
3 she ordained that anyone found hunting in the forest must pay a fine: decree, rule, order, command, enjoin, lay/set down, establish, dictate, legislate, prescribe, pronounce.

induct
verb
1 the new ministers were inducted into the cabinet: admit to, allow into, introduce to, initiate into, install in, instate in, swear into; appoint to.
2 he inducted me into the skills of magic: introduce to, acquaint with, familiarize with, make conversant with; ground in, instruct in, teach in, educate in, school in.

Fluch, Verbrechen, Verwünschung

noun
the maledictions of the evil Dr. Krepling: curse, damnation, oath; spell, hex, jinx; formal: imprecation; literary: anathema; archaic: execration. antonym: blessing.

vermischen, erledigen, verschlimmern, verstärken, aufzinsen

Assoziation, Bindung, Gemisch, Masse, Präparat, Zusammensetzung

noun
1 a compound of two elements: amalgam, amalgamation, combination, composite, blend, mixture, mix, fusion, synthesis; alloy.
2 they were contained in the compound: enclosure, pound, coop; estate, cloister.

adjective
a compound substance: composite, complex; blended, fused, combined. antonym: simple.

verb
1 soap compounded with disinfectant: mix, combine, blend, amalgamate, fuse, synthesize.
2 his illness compounds their problems: aggravate, exacerbate, worsen, add to, augment, intensify, heighten, increase, magnify; complicate. antonym: alleviate.

(über)prüfen, kontrollieren, testen, untersuchen; absperren, anhalten, eindämmen, hemmen

verb
1 troops checked all vehicles | I checked her background: examine, inspect, look at/over, scrutinize, survey; study, investigate, research, probe, look into, inquire into; informal check out, give something a once-over.
2 he checked that the gun was cocked: make sure, confirm, verify.
3 two defeats checked their progress: halt, stop, arrest, cut short; bar, obstruct, hamper, impede, inhibit, frustrate, foil, thwart, curb, block, stall, hold up, retard, delay, slow down; literary: stay.
4 her tears could not be checked: suppress, repress, restrain, control, curb, rein in, stifle, hold back, choke back; informal: keep a lid on.

blamieren, zum Narren halten; verblöden, den Geist lähmen

verb
1 social welfare was stultified by international trade regulations: hamper, impede, thwart, frustrate, foil, suppress, smother.
2 he stultifies her with too much gentleness: bore, make bored, dull, numb, benumb, stupefy.

Groll, Hass, Verbitterung

noun
partisans on both sides have created much rancor: bitterness, spite, hate, hatred, resentment, malice, ill will, malevolence, animosity, antipathy, enmity, hostility, acrimony, venom, vitriol.

belanglos, ohne Belang, irrelevant; fremd, von außen

adjective
1 extraneous considerations: irrelevant, immaterial, beside the point, unrelated, unconnected, inapposite, inapplicable, superfluous.
2 extraneous noise: external, outside, exterior.

Luft ablassen/herauslassen, enleeren, dämpfen

verb
1 he deflated the tires: let down, flatten, void; puncture. antonym: inflate.
2 the balloon deflated go down, collapse, shrink, contract. antonym: inflate, expand.
3 the news had deflated him: subdue, humble, cow, chasten; dispirit, dismay, discourage, dishearten; squash, crush, bring down, take the wind out of someone's sails, knock the stuffing out of. antonym: aggrandize.
4 the budget deflated the economy: reduce, slow down, diminish; devalue, depreciate, depress. antonym: inflate.

ängstlich, furchtsam

adjective
I was too timid to ask for what I wanted apprehensive, fearful, easily frightened, afraid, faint-hearted, timid, nervous, scared, frightened, cowardly, pusillanimous, spineless; shy, diffident, self-effacing, craven, shrinking; informal: wimpish, wimpy, yellow, chicken, mousy, gutless, sissy, lily-livered, candy-assed, weak-kneed. antonym: bold, brave.

verfemen, verbannen, ächten, ausschließen

verb
they were ostracized by their fellow workers: exclude, shun, evade, eschew, rebuff, spurn, cold-shoulder, reject, shut out, avoid, ignore, snub, cut dead, keep at arm's length, leave out in the cold; blackball, blacklist; informal: freeze out. antonym: welcome.

(Erd)Anziehungskraft; Ernst, Schwere

noun
1 the gravity of the situation: seriousness, importance, significance, weight, consequence, magnitude; acuteness, urgency, exigence; awfulness, dreadfulness; formal: moment.
2 the gravity of his demeanor: solemnity, seriousness, somberness, sobriety, soberness, severity, grimness, humorlessness, dourness, glumness; gloominess.

arbeitsam, betriebsam, fleißig

adjective
the industrious immigrants who founded our town in 1826: hard-working, diligent, assiduous, conscientious, punctilious, steady, painstaking, sedulous, persevering, unflagging, untiring, tireless, indefatigable, studious; busy, as busy as a bee, active, bustling, energetic, on the go, vigorous, determined, dynamic, zealous, productive; with one's shoulder to the wheel, with one's nose to the grindstone.

antonym: indolent, lazy, idle, slothful, loafing, do-nothing, sluggardly, shiftless, lackadaisical, languid, inactive, inert, sluggish, lethargic, torpid; slack, good-for-nothing, feckless.

gelassen, heiter, ruhig

adjective
1 on the surface she seemed serene: calm, composed, tranquil, peaceful, untroubled, relaxed, at ease, unperturbed, unruffled, unworried; placid, equable, centered; informal together, unflappable.

antonym: agitated.
2 serene valleys: peaceful, tranquil, quiet, still, restful, relaxing, undisturbed. antonym: turbulent.

sintflutartig

adjective
of or relating to a flood or floods, esp. the biblical Flood.

Rückfälligkeit, Rückfall, Rückfallkriminalität

noun
a convicted criminal who reoffends, esp. repeatedly.

adjective
denoting such a person : recidivist male prisoners | women are rarely recidivist.

Hurra-Patriotismus

noun
a newspaper known for its jingoism: extreme patriotism, chauvinism, extreme nationalism, xenophobia, flag-waving; hawkishness, militarism, belligerence, bellicosity. 

belligerence
noun
aggressive or warlike behavior : the reaction ranged from wild enthusiasm to outright belligerence.

chauvinism

noun
they have a tendency toward small-mindedness and chauvinism: jingoism, excessive patriotism, blind patriotism, excessive nationalism, sectarianism, isolationism, flag-waving; xenophobia, racism, ethnocentrism, ethnocentricity; partisanship partiality, prejudice, bias, discrimination, bigotry; male chauvinism, antifeminism, misogyny, sexism.

misogyny:

noun
the hatred of women by men : she felt she was struggling against thinly disguised misogyny.

Faulenzer, Müßiggänger

noun
Orwell immersed himself in the world of tramps and idlers: loafer, layabout, good-for-nothing, ne'er-do-well, lounger, shirker, sluggard; informal: slacker, slob, lazybones, slowpoke; literary: wastrel. antonym: workaholic.

edelmütig, idealistisch, schwärmerisch, weltfremd, ritterlich

adjective
many dismissed his missionary work as imprudent and quixotic: idealistic, romantic, visionary, Utopian, extravagant, starry-eyed, unrealistic, unworldly; impractical, impracticable, unworkable, impossible.

Würdenträger

noun
the studio is being visited a bunch of foreign dignitaries: worthy, personage, VIP, grandee, notable, pillar of society, luminary, leading light, big name; informal: heavyweight, bigwig, top brass, top dog, big gun, big shot, big cheese, big chief, supremo, big wheel, big kahuna, big enchilada, top banana.

Redner

noun
Patrick Henry, the great orator: speaker, public speaker, speech-maker, lecturer, declaimer, rhetorician, rhetor.

möblieren, ausstatten, bereitstellen; beschaffen, vorlegen, versehen, zuführen

verb
1 the bedrooms are elegantly furnished: fit out, provide with furniture, appoint, outfit.
2 grooms furnished us with horses for our journey: supply, provide, equip, provision, issue, kit out, present, give, offer, afford, purvey, bestow; informal: fix up.

Beschimpfung, Rufmord, Verleumdung, Verunglimpfung, üble Nachrede

noun
he could sue us for slander: defamation (of character), character assassination, calumny, libel; scandalmongering, malicious gossip, disparagement, denigration, aspersions, vilification, traducement, obloquy; lie, slur, smear, false accusation; informal: mudslinging, bad-mouthing; archaic: contumely.

verb
they were accused of slandering the minister: defame (someone's character), blacken someone's name, tell lies about, speak ill/evil of, sully someone's reputation, libel, smear, cast aspersions on, spread scandal about, besmirch, tarnish, taint; malign, traduce, vilify, disparage, denigrate, run down, slur; informal badmouth, dis, trash; formal: derogate

Kapriole, Luftsprung; Gaunerei

herumhüpfen, herumtollen

verb
children were capering about: skip, dance, romp, frisk, gambol, cavort, prance, frolic, leap, hop, jump, rollick.

noun
1 she did a little caper: dance, skip, hop, leap, jump.
2 informal: I'm too old for this kind of caper stunt, monkey business, escapade, prank, trick, mischief, foolery, tomfoolery, antics, hijinks, skylarking, lark, shenanigans.

beschwatzen, herumkriegen, gut zureden, zu etwas überreden, schmeicheln

verb
I hate it when he cajoles me to go out with his friends: persuade, wheedle, coax, talk into, prevail on, sweet-talk, butter up, soft-soap, seduce, entice, lure, beguile, maneuver, inveigle.

Boje, Schwimmkörper

Auftrieb geben, Mut zusprechen

noun
a mooring buoy: float, marker; bellbuoy, nun buoy, sonobuoy.

verb
the party was buoyed by an election victory: cheer, cheer up, hearten, rally, invigorate (revitalize, energize, refresh, revive, vivify, brace, rejuvenate, enliven, liven up, perk up, wake up, animate, galvanize, fortify, stimulate, rouse, exhilarate), uplift, lift, encourage, stimulate, inspirit; informal: pep up, perk up, buck up. antonym: depress.

Grundsatz, Lehre, Lehrsatz, Theorem

noun
the fundamental tenet of Marxism: principle, belief, doctrine, precept, creed, credo, article of faith, axiom, dogma, canon; theory, thesis, premise, conviction, idea, view, opinion, position; (tenets) ideology, code of belief, teaching(s).

auszehren, schwächen

etiolated
adjective
(of a plant) pale and drawn out due to a lack of light.
• having lost vigor or substance; feeble : a tone of etiolated nostalgia.

gedankenvoll, nachdenklich

adjective
sorry to interrupt your pensive mood, but we've got to leave: thoughtful, reflective, contemplative, musing, meditative, introspective, ruminative, absorbed, preoccupied, deep/lost in thought, in a brown study, brooding; formal: cogitative.

theatralisch

adjective
a histrionic account of her divorce: melodramatic, immoderate, theatrical, dramatic, exaggerated, stagy, showy, affected, artificial, overacted, overdone; informal: hammy, ham, campy.

gemäßigt, heftig, gestimmt

having a specified temper or disposition

antonym: immoderate, untempered

das Beige, Rehkalb, Rehkitz

herumscharwenzeln, wedeln, katzbuckeln, hofieren

fawnª

 noun
1 a young deer in its first year.
2 a light yellowish-brown color.
verb [ intrans. ]
(of a deer) produce young.

fawnº

verb
they were fawning over the president: be obsequious to, be sycophantic to, curry favor with, flatter, play up to, crawl to, ingratiate oneself with, dance attendance on; informal: suck up to, be all over, brown-nose, toady.

verb [ intrans. ]
(of a person) give a servile display of exaggerated flattery or affection, typically in order to gain favor or advantage : congressmen fawn over the President.
• (of an animal, esp. a dog) show slavish devotion, esp. by crawling and rubbing against someone.

Lobrede, Lobspruch, Lobschrift

noun
the panegyric she delivered in Syd's memory brought tears to our eyes: eulogy, speech of praise, paean, accolade, tribute.

in die Quere kommen, durchkreuzen, in den Weg stellen, einen Strich durch die Rechnung machen, ausbremsen, entgegenwirken, entgegenarbeiten, vereiteln

verb
their plans to attack the embassy were thwarted: foil, frustrate, stand in the way of, forestall, derail, dash; stop, check, block, stonewall, prevent, defeat, impede, hinder, obstruct; informal: put a crimp in, put the kibosh on, scotch, scuttle, do for, stymie. antonym: facilitate.

begünstigen, unterstützen, Vorschub leisten, anstiften, antreiben, aufhetzen, Beihilfe leisten

verb
I refused to abet the neighbors in their scheme to sabotage the construction site: assist, aid, help, lend a hand to, support, back, encourage; cooperate with, collaborate with, work with, connive with, collude with, go along with, be in collusion with, be hand in glove with, side with; second, endorse, sanction; promote, incite, champion, further, expedite. antonym: hinder.

Anstoß, Schatten

noun
1 offense or annoyance, resentment : she took umbrage at his remarks. antonym: gratification (Befriedigung, Belohnung, Erfüllung, Genugtuung).
2 archaic shade or shadow, esp. as cast by trees.

PHRASES
take umbrage I would take umbrage at that if I thought you were serious take offense, take exception, be aggrieved, be affronted, be annoyed, be angry, be indignant, be put out, be insulted, be hurt, be piqued, be resentful, be disgruntled, go into a huff, be miffed, have one's nose put out of joint, chafe.

Leichtferigkeit, Leichtsinn, Ungezwungenheit

noun
without some occasional levity, the working environment is no better than a sweatshop: lightheartedness, high spirits, vivacity, liveliness, cheerfulness, cheeriness, humor, gaiety, fun, jocularity, hilarity, frivolity, amusement, mirth, laughter, merriment, glee, comedy, wit, wittiness, jollity, joviality. antonym: seriousness.

Feigheit

noun
lack of bravery.

Fortpflanzungsfähigkeit, Fruchtbarkeit

fecund

adjective
producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile : a lush and fecund garden | figurative her fecund imagination. See note at fertile .
• technical (of a woman or women) capable of becoming pregnant and giving birth.

arrogant, arrogant, eingebildet, hochfahrend, hochmütig, stolz, überheblich

adjective
he is both haughty and disdainful: proud, arrogant, vain, conceited, snobbish, superior, self-important, pompous, supercilious, condescending, patronizing; scornful, contemptuous, disdainful; full of oneself, above oneself; informal stuck-up, snooty, hoity-toity, uppity, uppish, big-headed, high and mighty, la-di-da. antony:m humble.

verbraucht; aufgelöst, ausschweifend, vergeudend, zügellos

adjective
it was in college that he became a dissipated young man: dissolute, debauched, decadent, intemperate, profligate, self-indulgent, wild, depraved; licentious, promiscuous; drunken. antonym: ascetic.

Frechheit, Kühnheit, Unbesonnenheit, Unerhörtheit

noun
I doubt they'll have the temerity to print these accusations: audacity, nerve, effrontery, impudence, impertinence, cheek, gall, presumption; daring; informal: face, front, neck, chutzpah.

beschädigen, beeinträchtigen, verderben

verb [ trans. ] formal
spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of : development programs have been vitiated by the rise in population.
• destroy or impair the legal validity of.

richtigstellen, wieder gutmachen, verbessern

verb

düster, hämisch

adjective
1 a saturnine temperament: gloomy, somber, melancholy, moody, lugubrious, dour, glum, morose, unsmiling, humorless. antonym: cheerful.
2 his saturnine good looks: swarthy, dark, dark-skinned, dark-complexioned; mysterious, mercurial, moody, brooding.

überschwänglich, überschäumend, übersprudelnd

adjective
in an ebullient mood: exuberant, buoyant, cheerful, joyful, cheery, merry, jolly, sunny, jaunty, lighthearted, elated; animated, sparkling, vivacious, irrepressible; informal: bubbly, bouncy, peppy, upbeat, chirpy, smiley, full of beans; dated: gay. antonym: depressed.

scharfzüngig, schmähend

adjective
bitter and abusive : the criticism soon turned into a vituperative attack.

unfähig machen, hindern, außer Gefecht setzen

incapacitated: arbeitsunfähig

verb [ trans. ]
prevent from functioning in a normal way : he was incapacitated by a heart attack.
• Law deprive (someone) of their legal capacity.