abuse / grievance
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abuse / grievance
A condition in a system, organization, or society that is perceived as negative and unjust and that should urgently be changed.
Die Reportage deckte gravierende Missstände in der Lebensmittelindustrie auf.
The report uncovered serious abuses in the food industry.
The word consists of the prefix 'Miss-' and the noun 'Stand'. 'Miss-' expresses that something is bad, wrong, or negative, while 'Stand' here means 'Zustand' (condition) or 'Lage' (situation). A 'Missstand' is therefore literally a 'bad condition'.
Die Vorsilbe „Miss-“ finden Sie auch in Wörtern wie „Missverständnis“ oder „Misserfolg“.
You can also find the prefix 'Miss-' in words like 'Missverständnis' (misunderstanding) or 'Misserfolg' (failure).
'Missstand' (abuse/grievance) is often combined with verbs that describe action against the problem. Typical verbs are 'einen Missstand aufdecken' (to uncover an abuse), 'beseitigen' (to eliminate), 'beheben' (to remedy), or 'anprangern' (to publicly denounce).
Der Journalist will die Missstände in den Pflegeheimen aufdecken.
The journalist wants to uncover the abuses in the nursing homes.
This word belongs to formal language and is used mainly in the media, politics, and official reports. It is rarely used in everyday colloquial speech.
In dem Bericht werden die Missstände detailliert aufgelistet.
The report lists the abuses in detail.
lack / defect
Here, Mangel refers to something specific that is missing from a system or is not available in sufficient quantity. A Missstand, by contrast, is a condition in an organization or society that is perceived as unjust or unacceptable and should be changed.
Der Bericht bezeichnet die ungerechte Behandlung der Pflegekräfte als Missstand.
The report describes the unfair treatment of the nursing staff as an abuse.
Der Bericht nennt den Mangel an Pflegekräften im Krankenhaus.
The report mentions the shortage of nursing staff at the hospital.
