stigma
Loading your saved state.
stigma
A strongly negative characteristic or prejudice attributed by society to a person, trait, or group, which can lead to social discrimination or exclusion.
Früher war es ein Stigma, unehelich geboren zu sein.
In the past, it was a stigma to be born out of wedlock.
In general usage, 'Stigma' (stigma) almost always refers to social stigma. The other meanings are technical terms from medicine, religion, or botany and are used only in those specific contexts.
Psychische Erkrankungen sind in unserer Gesellschaft leider immer noch mit einem Stigma verbunden.
Unfortunately, mental illnesses are still associated with a stigma in our society.
In a social context, 'Stigma' (stigma) is often combined with verbs such as 'tragen' (to carry), 'bekämpfen' (to fight), or 'abbauen' (to reduce). The phrase 'mit einem Stigma behaftet sein' (to be burdened with a stigma) is also very common.
Viele Organisationen arbeiten daran, das Stigma von Armut zu bekämpfen.
Many organizations are working to fight the stigma of poverty.
To express what the stigma refers to, the genitive or the preposition 'von' (of) with the dative is often used.
Er leidet unter dem Stigma des Scheiterns.
He suffers from the stigma of failure.
For the religious meaning, the plural form 'die Stigmata' (the stigmata) is used almost exclusively. If you read this form, it most likely refers to wound marks in the religious sense.
In der Kunstgeschichte wird die Darstellung der Stigmata oft thematisiert.
In art history, the depiction of the stigmata is often discussed.
feature
'das Merkmal' and 'das Stigma' can both refer to something by which a person, group, or condition can be recognized. 'Merkmal' is neutral and general. It only says that something is typical or recognizable. 'Stigma' is much stronger and more specific. In the social sense, it means a negative sign or prejudice that can lead to exclusion. In medicine, it can also be a visible sign of an illness. Learners may confuse the words because both refer to a recognizable sign. In everyday language, however, you should only use 'Stigma' when a strongly negative or technical meaning is really intended.
Viele Menschen sprechen nicht über ihre Krankheit, weil sie Angst vor einem Stigma haben.
Many people do not talk about their illness because they are afraid of stigma.
Ein gemeinsames Merkmal der Gruppe ist, dass alle zwei Sprachen sprechen.
One shared characteristic of the group is that everyone speaks two languages.