cowardice
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cowardice
The quality of being fearful and, out of fear of danger, pain, or inconvenience, failing to take necessary or right actions.
Er warf ihm Feigheit vor, weil er sich nicht für seinen Freund eingesetzt hatte.
He accused him of cowardice because he had not stood up for his friend.
act of cowardice
A single action that shows cowardice; a cowardly act.
Den Schwächeren anzugreifen, war eine unglaubliche Feigheit.
Attacking the weaker person was an unbelievable act of cowardice.
'Feigheit' (cowardice) is an abstract noun derived from the adjective 'feige' (cowardly, lacking courage). The ending '-heit' is often used to form qualities from adjectives.
Er konnte seine Feigheit nicht überwinden und schwieg.
He could not overcome his cowardice and remained silent.
The word family includes the adjective 'feige' (cowardly, as in a cowardly person) and the noun 'der Feigling' (a coward). Understanding these words helps reinforce the meaning of 'Feigheit' (cowardice).
Es war feige von ihm, nicht die Wahrheit zu sagen.
It was cowardly of him not to tell the truth.
To indicate the reason for an action, the phrase 'aus Feigheit' (out of cowardice) is used. Another common construction is 'jemandem Feigheit vorwerfen' (to accuse someone of cowardice).
Er hat aus reiner Feigheit nicht geholfen.
He did not help out of sheer cowardice.
When a single act is meant, 'Feigheit' (cowardice) is often used countably like a normal noun, e.g. with the indefinite article 'eine' (a). The general quality, by contrast, is usually uncountable.
Den Freund im Stich zu lassen, war eine große Feigheit.
Abandoning a friend was a great act of cowardice.
fear
„Die Angst“ refers to the unpleasant feeling a person experiences in a threatening situation. „Die Feigheit“, by contrast, evaluates a quality or behavior when someone fails to take a necessary or right action out of fear. Use „Angst“ for the feeling and „Feigheit“ for the moral judgment.
Dass er trotz seiner Verantwortung nicht hineinging, war Feigheit.
Given his responsibility, not going inside was cowardice.
Er hatte Angst vor der Gefahr und blieb vor dem Haus stehen.
He was afraid of the danger and remained outside the house.
