die Trägheit
lethargy
A state in which someone has no desire or energy to move or be active; a general lack of drive.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem üppigen Mittagessen überfiel ihn eine große Trägheit.
After the lavish lunch, a great lethargy came over him.
die Trägheit
inertia / lethargy
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Meanings
die Trägheit
inertia
In physics, the property of a body to remain in its state of motion as long as no external forces act on it.
EXAMPLE
Das Gesetz der Trägheit besagt, dass ein Körper in Ruhe bleibt, wenn keine Kraft auf ihn wirkt.
The law of inertia states that a body remains at rest if no force acts on it.
die Trägheit
inertia
A property of systems, for example in bureaucracy or society, to react only very slowly to changes or influences.
EXAMPLE
Die Trägheit der Verwaltung verhinderte eine schnelle Umsetzung der neuen Gesetze.
The inertia of the administration prevented the quick implementation of the new laws.
Usage tips
Word family
The noun 'Trägheit' (inertia/lethargy) is derived from the adjective 'träge' (slow, sluggish, lacking drive). The ending '-heit' is often used to form abstract feminine nouns from adjectives that describe a state or quality.
EXAMPLE
Er konnte seine Trägheit einfach nicht überwinden und blieb auf dem Sofa liegen.
He simply couldn't overcome his lethargy and stayed lying on the sofa.
Context clue
You can recognize the physics meaning from signal words like 'Gesetz' (law), 'Masse' (mass), 'Kraft' (force), or 'Bewegung' (motion). In this context, 'Trägheit' (inertia) is a neutral technical term and has nothing to do with laziness.
EXAMPLE
In der Physik ist die Trägheit einer der fundamentalen Grundsätze der Mechanik.
In physics, inertia is one of the fundamental principles of mechanics.
Typical collocations
In everyday language, 'Trägheit' (lethargy) is often combined with verbs of feeling or overcoming. Typical phrases are 'seine Trägheit überwinden' (to overcome one's lethargy), 'gegen die Trägheit ankämpfen' (to fight against lethargy), or 'eine gewisse Trägheit spüren' (to feel a certain lethargy).
EXAMPLE
Manchmal muss man einfach seine Trägheit überwinden und mit der Arbeit anfangen.
Sometimes you simply have to overcome your lethargy and start working.
Figurative meaning
In the figurative meaning, 'Trägheit' (inertia) is often used to criticize slow, cumbersome systems. Common combinations are 'die Trägheit der Bürokratie' (the inertia of bureaucracy), 'die Trägheit der Verwaltung' (the inertia of the administration), or 'die Trägheit des Systems' (the inertia of the system).
EXAMPLE
Viele Bürger beschweren sich über die Trägheit der Behörden.
Many citizens complain about the inertia of the authorities.
Compare with
Trägheit vs Faulheit
laziness
Faulheit and Trägheit can both explain why someone does not start a task. Faulheit focuses more on an unwillingness to make an effort, while Trägheit focuses more on a lack of drive or low energy. Choose Faulheit when unwillingness is suspected and Trägheit when there is a general lack of energy or motivation.
Trägheit
Aus Trägheit begann er die Aufgabe nicht, obwohl er sich eigentlich darum kümmern wollte.
Because of lethargy, he did not start the task even though he actually wanted to take care of it.
Faulheit
Aus Faulheit verschob er die Aufgabe, obwohl er genug Zeit dafür hatte.
Out of laziness, he postponed the task even though he had enough time to do it.
In real life
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