meanness
die Gemeinheit, die Gemeinheiten
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nasty act / remark
An intentionally hurtful or unfair action or remark directed at another person.
Dass er sie vor allen Leuten bloßgestellt hat, war eine echte Gemeinheit.
The fact that he humiliated her in front of everyone was a really nasty thing to do.
meanness
The quality or behavior of a person who intentionally hurts others or treats them unfairly.
Seine Gemeinheit hat die Freundschaft endgültig zerstört.
His meanness ultimately destroyed the friendship.
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Gemeinheiten |
| genitive | der Gemeinheit |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Gemeinheit | die Gemeinheiten |
| accusative | die Gemeinheit | die Gemeinheiten |
| dative | der Gemeinheit | den Gemeinheiten |
| genitive | der Gemeinheit | der Gemeinheiten |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Gemeinheit' (meanness) consists of the adjective 'gemein' (mean) and the ending '-heit'. The ending forms a noun that refers to a quality or its expression.
Seine Gemeinheit überraschte selbst seine engsten Freunde.
His meanness surprised even his closest friends.
For a hurtful action or remark, 'Gemeinheit' (nasty act / remark) is often used in exclamations. Typical intensifiers are 'eine echte Gemeinheit' (a really nasty thing) and 'eine unglaubliche Gemeinheit' (an unbelievably nasty thing).
Das ist ja eine unglaubliche Gemeinheit! Er hat mir den letzten Parkplatz weggeschnappt.
That's unbelievably mean! He snatched the last parking space from me.
With the indefinite article, 'eine Gemeinheit' (a nasty act / remark) usually refers to a single action or remark. With a possessive pronoun or a name, 'Gemeinheit' (meanness) tends to refer to a recurring quality or behavior.
Seine Bemerkung war eine Gemeinheit.
His remark was a nasty thing to say.
Ihre Gemeinheit zeigte sich besonders, wenn jemand Hilfe brauchte.
Her meanness was especially apparent when someone needed help.
