01
giftig
poisonous / venomous
Containing poison and therefore harmful to health or deadly; toxic.
example
Der Knollenblätterpilz ist einer der giftigsten Pilze in Europa.
The death cap mushroom is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in Europe.
giftig
poisonous / venomous
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Meanings
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Usage tips
False friend
'Giftig' comes from 'das Gift' (poison) and means 'poisonous'. It is a well-known false friend of the English word 'gift' (Geschenk).
EXAMPLE
Vorsicht, diese Beeren sind giftig!
Careful, these berries are poisonous!
Word family
The adjective 'giftig' (poisonous) is derived directly from the noun 'das Gift' (poison). Anything that contains 'Gift' or acts like 'Gift' is 'giftig'.
EXAMPLE
In der Fabrik wird mit giftigen Chemikalien gearbeitet.
The factory works with toxic chemicals.
Context clue
You can recognize the meaning of 'giftig' from the context. If it is about animals, plants, or chemistry, it means 'poisonous'. With people and communication, it means 'spiteful' or 'malicious'. In connection with colors, it describes a garish, intense shade.
EXAMPLE
Manche Schlangen sind extrem giftig.
Some snakes are extremely venomous.
Typical collocations
In its literal meaning, 'giftig' is often used for living creatures or substances. Typical phrases are 'giftige Pilze' (poisonous mushrooms), 'giftige Schlangen' (venomous snakes), 'giftige Pflanzen' (poisonous plants), or 'giftige Dämpfe' (toxic fumes).
EXAMPLE
Beim Putzen sollte man das Fenster öffnen, um keine giftigen Dämpfe einzuatmen.
When cleaning, you should open the window so you don't inhale toxic fumes.
Figurative meaning
In the figurative sense, 'giftig' describes a negative, aggressive way of communicating. Common combinations are 'eine giftige Bemerkung' (a spiteful remark), 'ein giftiger Blick' (a venomous look), or 'ein giftiger Tonfall' (a venomous tone of voice).
EXAMPLE
Er warf ihr einen giftigen Blick zu.
He gave her a venomous look.
Use for colors
In this meaning, 'giftig' is almost always used as part of a compound adjective. The most common form is 'giftgrün' (garish/poison green), but 'giftgelb' (garish yellow) or 'giftblau' (garish blue) are also possible to describe an unnaturally bright color.
EXAMPLE
Sein neues Fahrrad ist giftgrün.
His new bike is garish green.
Compare with
giftig vs gefährlich
dangerous
'gefährlich' and 'giftig' both have to do with possible harm. 'gefährlich' is the more general word: a road, an animal, a situation, or a tool can be dangerous. 'giftig' is more specific and means that something contains poison and can therefore make someone sick or kill them. The words can be confused because poisonous things are also dangerous. But not everything dangerous is poisonous. If the harm comes from poison, you say 'giftig'.
giftig
Iss diese Beeren nicht, weil sie giftig sein können.
Do not eat these berries, because they may be poisonous.
gefährlich
Die kaputte Treppe ist gefährlich, deshalb benutzen wir sie nicht mehr.
The broken staircase is dangerous, so we do not use it anymore.
In real life
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