tight
Describes clothing that fits very closely to the body.
EXAMPLE
Diese Jeans ist mir ein bisschen zu tight, ich brauche eine Nummer größer.
These jeans are a bit too tight for me; I need one size larger.
tight
tight / cool
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Meanings
tight
cool
An informal expression from youth slang that means 'cool', 'great', or 'awesome'.
EXAMPLE
Die Party gestern Abend war echt tight!
The party last night was really cool!
tight
In music, describes very precise, rhythmic, and well-coordinated interplay within a band or among musicians.
EXAMPLE
Die Rhythmusgruppe der Band spielt unglaublich tight zusammen.
The band's rhythm section plays incredibly tight together.
Usage tips
English loanword
'Tight' is a word from English that is used in German colloquial language. It is usually used only in certain contexts such as fashion, youth slang, or music.
EXAMPLE
Dein neues T-Shirt sitzt echt tight.
Your new T-shirt fits really tight.
Use in a sentence
As an adjective, 'tight' is usually used predicatively (after a verb like 'sein' (to be) or 'sitzen' (to fit)) or as an adverb. An inflected form before a noun is less common, but possible.
EXAMPLE
Die Hose ist mir zu tight.
The pants are too tight for me.
Context clue
You can easily recognize the meaning of 'tight' from the context. In connection with clothing, it means 'eng' (tight). In youth slang, it is a positive word like 'cool'. In a musical context, it describes precise interplay.
EXAMPLE
Wow, das neue Album ist richtig tight!
Wow, the new album is really cool!
Register: youth slang
In the meaning 'cool' or 'great', 'tight' clearly belongs to youth slang. In formal or professional situations, you should avoid this word because it is very informal.
EXAMPLE
Das Konzert war mega tight, die Stimmung war super.
The concert was super cool; the atmosphere was great.
Compare with
tight vs cool
cool
Cool and tight can both express that something is very good or impressive. Cool is generally informal and suitable in many situations; tight sounds more like youth or scene slang. In a relaxed group, tight can therefore be the more deliberately marked choice.
tight
In der lockeren Runde fanden alle den Auftritt richtig tight.
Everyone in the relaxed group thought the performance was really tight.
cool
Alle Gäste fanden den Auftritt cool.
All the guests thought the performance was cool.
In real life
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