sonderlich
particularly
Mostly used in negative or interrogative sentences and means 'especially' or 'to a high degree'. It softens a statement.
EXAMPLE
Das Wetter war heute nicht sonderlich gut.
The weather wasn't particularly good today.
sonderlich
particularly / peculiar
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Meanings
sonderlich
peculiar
Describing a person or thing as strange, odd, or unusual. This meaning is rather rare today.
EXAMPLE
Er war schon immer ein etwas sonderlicher Mensch.
He had always been a somewhat peculiar person.
Usage tips
Word family
'Sonderlich' (particularly/peculiar) is derived from 'Sonder-', which means 'separate' or 'special'. It is related to words like 'besonders' (especially/special) or 'absondern' (to separate), which explains the meaning 'special' or 'different from normal'.
EXAMPLE
Er hat seine eigenen, sonderlichen Ansichten zu diesem Thema.
He has his own peculiar views on this topic.
Use in the negative
In the meaning 'particularly', 'sonderlich' is used almost exclusively in negative sentences. The combination 'nicht sonderlich' means 'not particularly' or 'not very'.
EXAMPLE
Ich war von dem Film nicht sonderlich begeistert.
I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the film.
Register: Rare
The meaning 'strange' or 'peculiar' is rather rare today and can sound old-fashioned or literary. It describes a person or their behavior as odd.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Mann im Nachbarhaus war ein sonderlicher Kauz.
The old man in the neighboring house was a peculiar character.
Compare with
sonderlich vs besonders
especially / special
Besonders can express a high degree in affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. Sonderlich has a similar meaning here, but it is usually used in negations, qualifications, or questions and softens the statement. For positive emphasis, besonders is therefore the better choice.
sonderlich
Das Essen in diesem Restaurant ist nicht sonderlich gut.
The food at this restaurant is not particularly good.
besonders
Das Essen in diesem Restaurant ist besonders gut.
The food at this restaurant is especially good.
In real life
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