01
deprimierend
depressing
Something that causes feelings of sadness, discouragement, or low spirits.
example
Das graue, regnerische Wetter ist auf Dauer wirklich deprimierend.
The gray, rainy weather is really depressing in the long run.
deprimierend
depressing
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word formation
'Deprimierend' (depressing) is the present participle of the verb 'deprimieren' (to depress) and is used as an adjective. It always describes the thing, person, or situation that causes the feeling of sadness.
EXAMPLE
Ich fand die Stimmung auf der Feier ziemlich deprimierend.
I found the atmosphere at the party quite depressing.
Typical collocations
The adjective is often used to describe an atmosphere or an external circumstance. Typical nouns are 'eine deprimierende Nachricht' (depressing news), 'eine deprimierende Stimmung' (a depressing mood/atmosphere), or 'deprimierendes Wetter' (depressing weather).
EXAMPLE
Die Nachrichten über die Wirtschaftskrise sind wirklich deprimierend.
The news about the economic crisis is really depressing.
Sentence structure with 'für'
To express who something has a depressing effect on, use the preposition 'für' (for) followed by the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Für die Mitarbeiter war das Ergebnis der Verhandlungen deprimierend.
For the employees, the result of the negotiations was depressing.
Compare with
deprimierend vs depressiv
depressed / depressive
'depressiv' and 'deprimierend' both have to do with sadness and discouragement. 'depressiv' describes a person or their state: someone can be 'depressiv', either in the medical sense or colloquially very down. 'deprimierend', on the other hand, describes something that triggers these feelings, for example a piece of news, a film, or a situation. Learners easily confuse the words because they sound similar. The direction is important: a person is 'depressiv'; a thing or experience is 'deprimierend' if it makes someone sad.
deprimierend
Das schlechte Ergebnis der Prüfung war für die ganze Klasse deprimierend.
The poor exam result was depressing for the whole class.
depressiv
Nach dem Verlust seiner Arbeit war Paul lange depressiv und suchte Hilfe.
After losing his job, Paul was depressed for a long time and sought help.
In real life
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