die Ignoranz
ignoring
The deliberate disregarding or overlooking of a person, a fact, or an opinion.
EXAMPLE
Sie bestrafte ihn für seine Bemerkung mit tagelanger Ignoranz.
She punished him for his remark with days of ignoring him.
die Ignoranz
ignorance
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Meanings
die Ignoranz
ignorance
The lack of knowledge or information about a particular matter; unawareness.
EXAMPLE
Seine Ignoranz in Bezug auf die Geschichte des Landes ist wirklich erstaunlich.
His ignorance regarding the country's history is truly astonishing.
Usage tips
False friend
'Ignoranz' can mean 'ignorance' in the sense of lack of knowledge, like the English word. Much more often in German, however, it means the active, deliberate ignoring of a person. This second meaning is a common trap for learners.
EXAMPLE
Seine Ignoranz gegenüber meinen Nachrichten hat mich sehr verletzt.
His ignoring of my messages hurt me a lot.
Word family
'Ignoranz' is the noun related to the verb 'ignorieren' (to ignore). If you know the verb, you can easily work out the meaning of the noun.
EXAMPLE
Er ignoriert meine Anrufe seit Tagen.
He has been ignoring my calls for days.
Typical collocations
When it is about deliberate disregard, 'Ignoranz' is often used with verbs such as 'zeigen' (to show), 'vorwerfen' (to accuse someone of), or the expression 'jemanden mit Ignoranz strafen' (to punish someone by ignoring them).
EXAMPLE
Sie bestrafte ihn mit völliger Ignoranz.
She punished him by completely ignoring him.
Sentence structure for lack of knowledge
When 'Ignoranz' means ignorance or lack of knowledge, a preposition is often used to specify what the ignorance refers to. Typical constructions are 'Ignoranz in Bezug auf...' (+ accusative) or 'Ignoranz gegenüber...' (+ dative).
EXAMPLE
Seine Ignoranz gegenüber den Fakten war schockierend.
His ignorance of the facts was shocking.
Compare with
Ignoranz vs Unwissenheit
ignorance
Ignoranz and Unwissenheit can both be associated with a lack of knowledge. Unwissenheit neutrally means that someone does not know something. Ignoranz can also mean a lack of knowledge, but it can additionally imply criticism that someone is deliberately disregarding facts.
Ignoranz
Paul kannte die Warnungen, doch aus Ignoranz beachtete er sie nicht.
Paul knew about the warnings, but deliberately disregarded them.
Unwissenheit
Paul beachtete die Warnungen aus Unwissenheit nicht, weil er sie nicht kannte.
Paul ignored the warnings out of ignorance because he did not know about them.
In real life
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