genial
brilliant
Exceptionally creative, intelligent, or inventive; showing outstanding intellectual talent.
EXAMPLE
Er hatte eine geniale Idee, um das Problem zu lösen.
He had a brilliant idea for solving the problem.
genial
brilliant / awesome
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Meanings
genial
awesome
Colloquial for great, fantastic, or super.
EXAMPLE
Die Party gestern war einfach genial!
The party yesterday was simply awesome!
Usage tips
False friend
Careful: 'genial' in German means 'brilliant' or 'showing genius.' It is a false friend of the English word 'genial,' which means 'friendly and cheerful.'
EXAMPLE
Albert Einstein war ein genialer Physiker.
Albert Einstein was a brilliant physicist.
Word family
'Genial' (brilliant/awesome) belongs to the word family of 'das Genie' (a person with exceptional talent; genius) and 'die Genialität' (the quality of being brilliant/genius).
EXAMPLE
Nur ein Genie konnte dieses komplexe Rätsel lösen.
Only a genius could solve this complex puzzle.
Two levels of use
The word has two stylistic levels. The original meaning is 'brilliant' and describes ideas or people. Colloquially, however, it is also often used today as a synonym for 'super' or 'fantastic' when talking about experiences.
EXAMPLE
Das ist eine geniale Erfindung, die vielen Menschen helfen wird.
That is a brilliant invention that will help many people.
Compare with
genial vs elegant
elegant
Genial and elegant can both describe a clever, successful solution. Genial mainly emphasizes exceptional creativity or inventiveness. Elegant is appropriate when the solution is also simple, clear, and effective.
genial
Die Lösung ist genial, weil sie auf einer völlig neuen Idee beruht.
The solution is brilliant because it is based on a completely new idea.
elegant
Die Lösung ist elegant, weil sie mit drei einfachen Schritten zum Ziel führt.
The solution is elegant because it reaches the goal in three simple steps.
In real life
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