outrageous / enormous
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outrageous
Something so shocking, offensive, or scandalous that it is perceived as unacceptable or unbelievable. It describes an incident or behavior that strongly violates moral or social norms.
Es ist ungeheuerlich, wie er seine Mitarbeiter behandelt.
It is outrageous how he treats his employees.
The word is derived from 'ungeheuer' (monstrous or enormous). The ending '-lich' turns it into an adjective. 'Ungeheuerlich' therefore describes something that is monstrous or incomprehensible in its extent or nature.
Die Forderungen der Gegenseite waren einfach ungeheuerlich.
The opposing side's demands were simply outrageous.
To express outrage, 'ungeheuerlich' (outrageous) is very often used in the fixed structure 'Es ist ungeheuerlich, dass ...' (It is outrageous that ...) or 'Es ist ungeheuerlich, wie ...' (It is outrageous how ...). This is followed by a subordinate clause that describes the scandalous situation.
Es ist ungeheuerlich, dass niemand für den Fehler die Verantwortung übernimmt.
It is outrageous that no one is taking responsibility for the mistake.
In its meaning 'empörend' (outrageous), the word is often combined with nouns that describe an action or statement. Typical examples are: 'eine ungeheuerliche Behauptung' (an outrageous claim), 'ein ungeheuerlicher Vorwurf' (an outrageous accusation), 'ein ungeheuerlicher Skandal' (an outrageous scandal), or 'ungeheuerliches Verhalten' (outrageous behavior).
Die Zeitung deckte einen ungeheuerlichen Skandal in der Politik auf.
The newspaper uncovered an outrageous scandal in politics.
You can tell whether the meaning is 'empörend' (outrageous) or 'riesig' (enormous) from the noun. If it refers to moral behavior, e.g. 'Lüge' (lie) or 'Vorwurf' (accusation), it means 'outrageous'. If it refers to a measurable size, e.g. 'Summe' (sum) or 'Menge' (amount), it means 'enormous'.
Seine Aussage war eine ungeheuerliche Lüge.
His statement was an outrageous lie.
incredible
'unglaublich' and 'ungeheuerlich' can both express that something is hard to believe or has an extreme extent. The most important difference is in tone. 'unglaublich' is general and can be positive, negative, or simply intensifying. 'ungeheuerlich' usually sounds strongly negative: you use it for behavior or an incident that is shocking, outrageous, or unacceptable. The meaning 'very large' also exists, but it is rarer. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with 'hard to believe'. If you want to express outrage, 'ungeheuerlich' fits. For normal enthusiasm or simple emphasis, 'unglaublich' is more natural.
Julia findet es ungeheuerlich, dass jemand die Prüfungslösungen verkauft hat.
Julia thinks it is outrageous that someone sold the exam answers.
Im Bus ist Tom unglaublich ruhig geblieben.
Tom stayed incredibly calm on the bus.