eigenwillig
willful
Strongly pursuing one's own will and difficult to influence or direct by others.
EXAMPLE
Das eigenwillige Kind wollte seine Hausaufgaben auf keinen Fall machen.
The willful child absolutely refused to do their homework.
eigenwillig
willful / unconventional
eigenwillig – eigenwilliger – am eigenwilligsten
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Meanings
eigenwillig
unconventional
Displaying an individual, unusual style or design and therefore often deviating from conventional ideas.
EXAMPLE
Die Künstlerin ist für ihre eigenwilligen Bilder bekannt.
The artist is known for her unconventional paintings.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry eigenwillig, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | eigenwillig |
|---|---|
| comparative | eigenwilliger |
| superlative | am eigenwilligsten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to eigenwillig.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to eigenwillig.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to eigenwillig.
Usage tips
Word formation
In „eigenwillig“ (willful / unconventional), you can recognize „eigen“ (own) and the stem „will-“ from „Wille“ (will). This structure helps you connect the word with the idea of having one's own will, including when it is used figuratively for art or design.
EXAMPLE
Der eigenwillige Musiker lässt sich bei seiner Arbeit kaum von anderen beeinflussen.
The willful musician is hardly influenced by others in his work.
Typical collocations
For people, the expressions „ein eigenwilliger Charakter“ (a willful character) and „ein eigenwilliger Kopf“ (a willful person) are common. Here, „Kopf“ (head) refers to the whole person, not the body part.
EXAMPLE
Unsere neue Kollegin ist ein eigenwilliger Kopf und hält sich ungern an feste Vorgaben.
Our new colleague is a willful person and doesn't like following fixed guidelines.
Typical collocations
In art and design, „ein eigenwilliger Stil“ (an unconventional style), „eine eigenwillige Interpretation“ (an unconventional interpretation), and „eine eigenwillige Architektur“ (unconventional architecture) are typical collocations. Whether they express praise or criticism often becomes clear only from the rest of the description.
EXAMPLE
Ihre eigenwillige Interpretation des Stücks begeisterte das Publikum.
Her unconventional interpretation of the piece thrilled the audience.
Die eigenwillige Architektur des Neubaus passt für mich überhaupt nicht zu den Häusern daneben.
The unconventional architecture of the new building doesn't fit with the neighboring houses at all, in my opinion.
In real life
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