01
redlich
honest
The quality of acting honestly, fairly, and decently. It describes a person or behavior that is morally beyond reproach.
example
Er hat sich sein Vermögen auf redliche Weise erarbeitet.
He earned his fortune in an honest way.
redlich
honest / decent
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 02
Usage tips
Word family
The word 'redlich' (honest, decent) is related to 'die Rede' (speech). It describes a person who can stand by their actions and give an account of them ('Rede und Antwort stehen' — to answer for oneself).
EXAMPLE
Ein redlicher Kaufmann betrügt seine Kunden nicht.
An honest merchant does not cheat his customers.
Register
'Redlich' (honest, decent) belongs to elevated or formal language in both meanings. It is rarely used in everyday conversation.
EXAMPLE
Der Finder des Portemonnaies war eine redliche Seele und gab es bei der Polizei ab.
The person who found the wallet was an honest soul and handed it in to the police.
Typical collocations
In the meaning of 'ehrlich' (honest), 'redlich' (honestly) is often used as an adverb to describe an action. Typical phrases are 'sich redlich bemühen' (to make an honest effort) or 'etwas redlich verdienen' (to honestly earn something).
EXAMPLE
Sie hat sich ihr ganzes Leben lang redlich bemüht, eine gute Mutter zu sein.
She made an honest effort her whole life to be a good mother.
Context clue
You can recognize the meaning 'ziemlich' (quite) or 'ordentlich' (proper, considerable) by the fact that 'redlich' comes before a noun that describes an amount or a result. It often carries the connotation that one has earned something.
EXAMPLE
Nach der Gartenarbeit hatte er einen redlichen Durst.
After the gardening, he had worked up quite a thirst.
Compare with
redlich vs sehr
very
'sehr' and 'redlich' can both intensify something, but they are not used in the same way. 'sehr' is the normal word when you want to make an adjective, adverb, or sometimes even a verb stronger. 'redlich' as an intensifier sounds elevated, old-fashioned, or somewhat literary. You hear it only in certain expressions, for example when someone is 'redlich müde' (properly tired) or 'sich redlich bemüht' (makes an honest / serious effort). In everyday language, 'sehr' is almost always more natural. You would choose 'redlich' more deliberately when the sentence is allowed to sound a bit more special or old-fashioned.
redlich
Nach der langen Wanderung waren die Gäste redlich müde.
After the long hike, the guests were properly tired.
sehr
Nach dem Training war der Arzt sehr zufrieden mit meinem Knie.
After the training session, the doctor was very pleased with my knee.
In real life
Loading video examples...