dumm

adjective
stupid, dumb
A2

dumm means 'stupid' or 'dumb'. Gradable adjective: comparative dümmer, superlative am dümmsten. Used attributively and predicatively (Er ist dumm; eine dumme Entscheidung). Antonyms: klug, intelligent. Often pejorative; avoid in polite speech. Regular adjective morphology, not a participle. Can be softened with modifiers (ziemlich dumm).

Examples

Das war eine dumme Idee.
That was a stupid idea.
Er fühlt sich manchmal dumm, wenn er etwas nicht versteht.
He sometimes feels dumb when he doesn't understand something.
Obwohl der Fehler dumm gewesen war, entschuldigten sich die Beteiligten, nachdem sie die Ursache erkannt hatten.
Although the mistake had been foolish, the people involved apologized after they had recognized the cause.

Details

GradableYes
Comparativedümmer
Superlativeam dümmsten
ParticipleNo

Mnemonics

👁️picture a silly cartoon character making a foolish mistake
👂rhymes with 'dumb' in English

Category

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