fade, langweilig; unergiebig, unzulänglich; infantil, läppisch; nüchtern, strohig, trocken; simpel, karg, mager

adjective
1 naive, simplistic, and superficial : their entirely predictable and usually jejune opinions.
2 (of ideas or writings) dry and uninteresting : the poem seems to me rather jejune.

gekünstelt, künstlich

adjective
the story's contrived ending is a big letdown: forced, strained, studied, artificial, affected, put-on, phony, pretended, false, feigned, fake, manufactured, unnatural; labored, overdone, elaborate. antonym: natural.

contrive
verb
his opponents contrived a cabinet crisis bring about, engineer, manufacture, orchestrate, stage-manage, create, devise, concoct, construct, plan, fabricate, plot, hatch; informal: wangle, set up.

verkünden, verkündigen

verb
1 they promulgated their own views: make known, make public, publicize, spread, communicate, propagate, disseminate, broadcast, promote, preach; literary: bruit abroad.
2 the law was promulgated in 1942: put into effect, enact, implement, enforce.

sorglos, unbekümmert

adjective

absondern

verb
1 he sequestered himself from the world: isolate oneself, hide away, shut oneself away, seclude oneself, cut oneself off, segregate oneself; closet oneself, cloister oneself, withdraw, retire.
2 the government sequestered his property: confiscate, seize, sequestrate, take, appropriate, expropriate, impound, commandeer.

unendlich klein, dahinschwindend, flüchtig, vergänglich

adjective literary
operating on an evanescent budget: vanishing, fading, evaporating, melting away, disappearing; ephemeral, fleeting, short-lived, short-term, transitory, transient, fugitive, temporary. antonym: permanent.

kraftlos, schwach, greisenhaft, dürftig, lahm

adjective
1 he was very old and feeble weak, weakly, weakened, frail, infirm, delicate, sickly, ailing, unwell, poorly, enfeebled, enervated, debilitated, incapacitated, decrepit, etiolated. antonym: strong.
2 a feeble argument: ineffective, ineffectual, inadequate, unconvincing, implausible, unsatisfactory, poor, weak, flimsy. antonym: effective.
3 he's too feeble to stand up to his boss: cowardly, craven, faint-hearted, spineless, spiritless, lily-livered, chinless; timid, timorous, fearful, unassertive, weak, ineffectual, wishy-washy; informal: wimpy, sissy, sissified, gutless, chicken. antonym: forceful, brave.
4 a feeble light: faint, dim, weak, pale, soft, subdued, muted. antonym: strong.

schuselig, schwerfällig, tollpatschig, trampelig, unbeholfen, ungehobelt, ungelenk

adjective
1 she was terribly clumsy: awkward, uncoordinated, ungainly, graceless, inelegant; inept, maladroit, unskillful, unhandy, accident-prone, like a bull in a china shop, all thumbs; informal ham-fisted, butterfingered, having two left feet, klutzy. antonym: graceful.
2 a clumsy contraption: unwieldy, cumbersome, bulky, awkward. antonym: elegant.
3 a clumsy remark: gauche, awkward, graceless; unsubtle, uncouth, boorish, crass; tactless, insensitive, thoughtless, undiplomatic, indelicate, ill-judged. antonym: tactful.

morsch, spröde, zerbrechlich, schwankend

adjective
1 glass is a brittle material: breakable, fragile, delicate; splintery; formal: frangible. antonym: flexible, resilient.
2 a brittle laugh: harsh, hard, sharp, grating. antonym: soft.
3 a brittle young woman: edgy, anxious, unstable, high-strung, tense, excitable, jumpy, skittish, neurotic; informal: uptight. antonym: relaxed.

justieren, eichen, abgleichen, kalibrieren

verb
calibrate the scale before weighing the packages: adjust, measure, set, graduate, correct.

abkanten, krümmen, anwinkeln, sich biegen

verb
1 the frames can be bent to fit your face: curve, angle, hook, bow, arch, flex, crook, hump, warp, contort, distort, deform. antonym: straighten.
2 the highway bends to the left: turn, curve, incline, swing, veer, deviate, diverge, fork, change course, curl, loop.
3 he bent down to tie his shoe: stoop, bow, crouch, hunch, lean down/over. antonym: straighten up.
4 they want to bend me to their will: mold, shape, manipulate, direct, force, press, influence, incline, sway.

noun
he came to a bend in the road: curve, turn, corner, jog, kink, dogleg, oxbow, zigzag, angle, arc, crescent, twist, crook, deviation, deflection, loop, hairpin turn, hairpin.

zuverlässig, verlässlich

adjective
a dependable worker: reliable, trustworthy, trusty, faithful, loyal, unfailing, sure, steadfast, stable; honorable, sensible, responsible.

krank, baufällig, unsicher; unvernünftig; brüchig, morsch, unzuverlässig; anfechtbar, unvertretbar, wenig stichhaltig

adjective
1 structurally unsound: weak, rickety, flimsy, wobbly, unstable, crumbling, damaged, rotten, ramshackle, shoddy, insubstantial, unsafe, dangerous. antonym: strong.
2 this plan appears unsound: untenable, flawed, defective, faulty, ill-founded, flimsy, unreliable, questionable, dubious, tenuous, suspect, fallacious, fallible; informal: iffy.
3 of unsound mind: disordered, deranged, disturbed, demented, unstable, unbalanced, unhinged, addled, insane. antonym: sane.

Kunstwort, Münzgeld, Prägung

noun
1 coins collectively : the volume of coinage in circulation.
• the action or process of producing coins from metal.
• a system or type of coins in use : decimal coinage.
2 the invention of a new word or phrase.
• a newly invented word or phrase.

reizen, ärgern, giften

verb
their barking dog riles me | where the movie attempts to amuse, it only riles: irritate, vex, make angry/cross, anger, exasperate, irk, gall, pique, put out, antagonize, get on someone's nerves, get to, ruffle someone's feathers, make someone's hackles rise, nettle; rub the wrong way; informal aggravate, peeve, hassle, miff, annoy, needle, frost, bug, get someone's goat, get someone's back up, get in someone's hair,give someone the gears, drive mad/crazy/bananas, drive around the bend, drive up the wall, tee off, tick off, burn up, rankle. antonym: please, gratify.

herumzappeln, zappeln

Unruhe

verb
1 the audience began to fidget: move restlessly, wriggle, squirm, twitch, jiggle, shuffle, be agitated; informal: be jittery.
2 she fidgeted with her scarf: play, fuss, toy, twiddle, fool around; informal fiddle, mess around.

noun
1 his convulsive fidgets: twitch, wriggle, squirm, jiggle, shuffle, tic, spasm.
2 what a fidget you are! flibbertigibbet, restless person, bundle of nerves.

himmlisch, ätherisch

adjective
melodic phrases of ethereal beauty: delicate, exquisite, dainty, elegant, graceful; fragile, airy, fine, subtle; unearthly. antonym: substantial, earthly.

feige, memmenhaft

adjective
he made a cowardly dash for the exit, leaving everyone else behind: faint-hearted, lily-livered, spineless, chicken-hearted, craven, timid, timorous, fearful, pusillanimous; informal: yellow, chicken, weak-kneed, gutless, yellow-bellied, wimpish, wimpy. antonym: brave.

aufmüpfig, ungebärdig

adjective
the hotel manager was accustomed to dealing with obstreperous guests: unruly, unmanageable, disorderly, undisciplined, uncontrollable, rowdy, disruptive, truculent, difficult, refractory, rebellious, mutinous, riotous, out of control, wild, turbulent, uproarious, boisterous; noisy, loud, clamorous, raucous, vociferous; informal: rambunctious.
antonym: quiet, restrained.

lasziv, heikel, geschmacklos, schlüpfig

adjective
1 rough and covered with, or as if with, scabs.
2 indecent; salacious : scabrous publications.

bösartig, verderblich, schädlich

adjective
a pernicious influence on society: harmful, damaging, destructive, injurious, hurtful, detrimental, deleterious, dangerous, adverse, inimical, unhealthy, unfavorable, bad, evil, baleful, wicked, malign, malevolent, malignant, noxious, poisonous, corrupting; literary: maleficent. antonym: beneficial.

Hinfälligkeit, Baufälligkeit, heruntergekommener Zustand

decrepit

adjective
(of a person) elderly and infirm : a decrepit old drunk. See note at weak .
• worn out or ruined because of age or neglect : centuries-old buildings, now decrepit and black with soot.

Aufruhr

noun
the fracas in the alley drew the attention of a passing patrol car: disturbance, brawl, melee, rumpus, skirmish, struggle, scuffle, scrum, clash, fisticuffs, altercation; informal: scrap, dust-up, set-to, donnybrook.

Abgeklärtheit, Gelassenheit, Gleichmut, Heiterkeit, Klarkheit, Ruhe; Durchlaucht

noun ( pl. -ties)
the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled : an oasis of serenity amidst the bustling city.
• ( His/Your, etc., Serenity) a title given to a reigning prince or similar dignitary.

Aphasie, Sprachverlust, Verlust des Sprechvermögens

noun Medicine
loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage.

necken, sticheln

Geplänkel

noun
a brief exchange of banter: repartee, witty conversation, raillery, wordplay, cut and thrust, kidding, ribbing, badinage, joshing.

verb
sightseers were bantering with the guards: joke, jest, quip; informal: josh, wisecrack.

Gedankensplitter, geistreicher Spruch, treffend formulierter Gedanke

noun
she was a fount of Orwellian aphorisms: saying, maxim, axiom, adage, epigram, dictum, gnome, proverb, saw, tag; rare: apophthegm. 

laut; klangvoll, volltönend

adjective
1 a sonorous voice: resonant, rich, full, round, booming, deep, clear, mellow, orotund, fruity, strong, resounding, reverberant.
2 sonorous words of condemnation: impressive, imposing, grandiloquent, magniloquent, high-flown, lofty, orotund, bombastic, grandiose, pompous, pretentious, overblown, turgid; oratorical, rhetorical; informal: highfalutin.

rau, lärmend

adjective
1 raucous laughter: harsh, strident, screeching, piercing, shrill, grating, discordant, dissonant; noisy, loud, cacophonous. antonym: soft, dulcet.
2 a raucous party: rowdy, noisy, boisterous, roisterous, wild. antonym: restrained, quiet.

lieblich, wohlklingend

adjective
the dulcet sounds of the zither: sweet, soothing, mellow, honeyed, mellifluous, euphonious, pleasant, agreeable; melodious, melodic, lilting, lyrical, silvery, golden. antonym: harsh.
 

überschäumend, überschwänglich, 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.

Flaute, Trübsinn, Windstille

plural noun
winter doldrums: depression, melancholy, gloom, gloominess, downheartedness, dejection, despondency, low spirits, despair; inertia, apathy, listlessness, blahs, blue funk, blues.

schmerzlich, schmerzhaft, qualvoll, traurig

adjective
her dolorous eyes: doleful, mournful, woeful, sorrowful, sad, unhappy, depressed, gloomy, morose, melancholy, miserable, forlorn, wretched, woebegone, despondent, dejected, disconsolate, downcast, crestfallen, downhearted; informal blue, down in/at the mouth, down in the dumps; literary dolorous, heartsick. antonym cheerful.

bereuen

verb
she may live to rue this impetuous decision: regret, be sorry about, feel remorseful about, repent of, reproach oneself for; deplore, lament, bemoan, bewail, mourn.

unbekümmert, froh, heiter, unbeschwert

adjective
1 a blithe disregard for the rules: casual, indifferent, unconcerned, unworried, untroubled, uncaring, careless, heedless, thoughtless; nonchalant, blasé. antonym: thoughtful.
2 literary : his blithe, smiling face: happy, cheerful, jolly, merry, joyful, joyous, blissful, ecstatic, euphoric, elated; dated: gay. antonym: sad.

Gelassenheit, Selbstbewusstsein, Souveränität

noun
the judges were especially impressed by her aplomb: poise, self-assurance, self-confidence, calmness, composure, collectedness, levelheadedness, sangfroid, equilibrium, equanimity; informal: unflappability.

vorsichtig

adjective
he was chary of broaching the subject: wary, cautious, circumspect, heedful, careful, on one's guard; distrustful, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, dubious, hesitant, reluctant, leery, canny, nervous, apprehensive, uneasy; informal: cagey, iffy.

Kühnheit, Frechheit, 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.

streiten

verb [ intrans. ] archaic
dispute or argue noisily and publicly.

behaupten, billigen, zustimmen

noun
they are likely to give their assent: agreement, acceptance, approval, approbation, consent, acquiescence, compliance, concurrence; sanction, endorsement, confirmation; permission, leave, blessing; informal: the go-ahead, the nod, the green light, the OK, the thumbs up. antonym: dissent, refusal.

verb
he assented to the change agree to, accept, approve, consent to, acquiesce in, concur in, give one's blessing to; sanction, endorse, confirm; informal give the go-ahead to, give the nod to, give the green light to, give the OK to, OK, give the thumbs up to; formal accede to. antonym refuse.

nörgeln

verb [ intrans. ]
make petty or unnecessary objections : they caviled at the cost.
noun
an objection of this kind.

heruntermachen, missbilligen, vernichtend kritisieren; abschürfen

verb
1 Medicine : the skin had been excoriated abrade, rub away, rub raw, scrape, scratch, chafe; strip away, skin.
2 formal : he was excoriated in the press. See criticize .

Übereinstimmung, enges Verhältnis, harmonisches Verhältnis

noun
board members fired him for failing to maintain good rapport with the trustees affinity, close relationship, understanding, mutual understanding, bond, empathy, sympathy, accord.

meiden, scheuen, unterlassen

verb
he firmly eschewed political involvement: abstain from, refrain from, give up, forgo, shun, renounce, steer clear of, have nothing to do with, fight shy of; relinquish, reject, disavow, abandon, spurn, wash one's hands of, drop; informal kick, pack in; formal: forswear, abjure.

abwehren, parieren

verb
1 Alfonso parried the blow: ward off, fend off; deflect, hold off, block, counter, repel, repulse.
2 I parried her constant questions: evade, sidestep, avoid, dodge, answer evasively, field, fend off.

verführen, verleiten

verb
planted in colleges throughout the country are brainwashed members whose only mission is to inveigle unsuspecting students into the cult: entice, tempt, lure, seduce, beguile; wheedle, cajole, coax, persuade; informal: sweet-talk, soft-soap, con, sucker, snow. 

Lehenstreue

noun historical
a feudal tenant's or vassal's sworn loyalty to a lord : they owed fealty to the Earl rather than the King.
• formal acknowledgment of this : a property for which she did fealty.

entsetzlich, grell, schrecklich

adjective
1 lurid colors bright, brilliant, vivid, glaring, shocking, fluorescent, flaming, dazzling, intense; gaudy, loud, showy, bold, garish, tacky. antonym: muted, subtle.
2 the lurid details sensational, sensationalist, exaggerated, overdramatized, colorful; salacious, graphic, explicit, unrestrained, prurient, shocking; gruesome, gory, grisly; informal: juicy, full-frontal. antonym: discreet, restrained.

etabliert, fest verwurzelt, unbeugsam

adjective
they tend to cling to entrenched attitudes: ingrained, established, confirmed, fixed, firm, deep-seated, deep-rooted; unshakable, indelible, ineradicable, inexorable.

Mäßigkeit, Mäßigung

noun
a strict advocate of temperance: teetotalism, abstinence, abstention, sobriety, self-restraint; prohibition. antonym: alcoholism.

teuflisch

adjective
1 a fiendish torturer: wicked, cruel, vicious, evil, malevolent, villainous; brutal, savage, barbaric, barbarous, inhuman, murderous, ruthless, merciless; dated: dastardly.
2 a fiendish plot: cunning, clever, ingenious, crafty, canny, wily, devious, shrewd; informal: sneaky.
3 a fiendish puzzle: difficult, complex, challenging, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty, thorny, tricky.

liederlich, unzüchtig

adjective
a book that exaggerates the licentious behavior of the rich and famous: dissolute, dissipated, debauched, degenerate, immoral, naughty, wanton, decadent, depraved, sinful, corrupt; lustful, lecherous, lascivious, libidinous, prurient, lubricious, lewd, promiscuous, lickerish; formal: concupiscent. antonym: moral.

ruchlos, schändlich

adjective
the nefarious long-lost brother returns to steal Iris's inheritance: wicked, evil, sinful, iniquitous, egregious, heinous, atrocious, vile, foul, abominable, odious, depraved, monstrous, fiendish, diabolical, unspeakable, despicable; villainous, criminal, corrupt, illegal, unlawful; dated: dastardly. antonym: good.

kindlich, unreif

adjective
you're too old for these puerile outbursts childish, immature, infantile, juvenile, babyish; silly, inane, fatuous, jejune, asinine, foolish, petty. antonym: mature, sensible.

Senilität

noun
the memoirs she began in her dotage: declining years, winter of one's life, autumn of one's life; advanced years, old age; literary: eld.