01
belanglos
irrelevant / trivial
Without meaning, importance, or interest; insignificant or trivial.
example
Wir unterhielten uns über belanglose Dinge wie das Wetter.
We talked about trivial things like the weather.
belanglos
irrelevant / trivial
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word formation
The word is made up of 'der Belang' (importance, significance) and the ending '-los' (without). So 'belanglos' literally means 'without significance' or 'without importance'.
EXAMPLE
Diese Information ist für unsere Entscheidung ohne Belang.
This information is irrelevant to our decision.
Typical collocations
'Belanglos' often describes communication or information. Typical combinations are 'belangloser Smalltalk' (trivial small talk), 'ein belangloses Gespräch' (a trivial conversation), or 'belanglose Details' (irrelevant details).
EXAMPLE
Auf der Party führten wir nur belanglose Gespräche.
At the party, we only had trivial conversations.
Slightly negative tone
Although 'belanglos' simply means 'unimportant', it often has a slightly negative or dismissive connotation. It implies that something is not only unimportant, but also uninteresting or even a waste of time.
EXAMPLE
Ich möchte meine Zeit nicht mit solch belanglosen Problemen verschwenden.
I don't want to waste my time on such trivial problems.
Compare with
belanglos vs wichtig
important
'wichtig' and 'belanglos' describe two opposite evaluations. Use 'wichtig' when something has clear importance or may have consequences. Use 'belanglos' when something has no real importance and hardly needs to be paid attention to. Compared with 'zweitrangig' (secondary), 'belanglos' sounds stronger: something 'belanglos' is not just less important, but almost without value for the situation.
belanglos
Für die Sicherheit zu Hause ist diese kleine Bemerkung belanglos.
For safety at home, this small remark is irrelevant.
wichtig
Heute ist Elifs Entscheidung für das ganze Team wichtig.
Today, Elif's decision is important for the whole team.
In real life
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