ungleich
unequal
Not the same or identical; different in characteristics, size, or form.
EXAMPLE
Die beiden Brüder sind charakterlich sehr ungleich.
The two brothers are very unequal in character.
ungleich
unequal / much
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Meanings
ungleich
much
Used as an adverb to intensify a comparison and means 'far', 'considerably', or 'much'.
EXAMPLE
Die Aufgabe war ungleich schwieriger, als wir erwartet hatten.
The task was much more difficult than we had expected.
ungleich
unequal
Not distributed fairly or evenly.
EXAMPLE
Die Chancen im Wettbewerb waren ungleich verteilt.
The opportunities in the competition were unequally distributed.
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is the opposite of 'gleich' (same/equal). The prefix 'un-' is often used in German to turn the meaning of an adjective or adverb into its opposite.
EXAMPLE
Es ist unfair, wenn die Aufgaben ungleich schwer sind.
It is unfair when the tasks are unequally difficult.
Use as an adverb
In this meaning, 'ungleich' is used as an adverb to intensify a comparative (e.g., 'besser' — better, 'schneller' — faster). It stands directly before the comparative adjective.
EXAMPLE
Die zweite Prüfung war ungleich anspruchsvoller als die erste.
The second exam was much more demanding than the first.
Context clue
You can recognize the adverbial meaning by the fact that 'ungleich' stands directly before an adjective in the comparative (e.g., 'größer' — bigger, 'wichtiger' — more important). In the other meanings, it describes a noun or answers the question 'How?'.
EXAMPLE
Das neue Modell ist ungleich teurer.
The new model is much more expensive.
Typical collocations
In the context of fairness and distribution, 'ungleich' is often combined with verbs like 'verteilen' (to distribute) or nouns like 'Chancen' (opportunities) and 'Bedingungen' (conditions).
EXAMPLE
Der Wohlstand ist in diesem Land sehr ungleich verteilt.
Wealth is very unequally distributed in this country.
Compare with
ungleich vs anders
different / differently
Anders and ungleich express that something is not the same. Anders typically contrasts one object with a model, expectation, or other reference point. Ungleich directly describes two things as unequal in certain characteristics, their size, or their shape.
ungleich
Die beiden Entwürfe sind in Form und Größe ungleich.
The two designs are unequal in shape and size.
anders
Der neue Entwurf ist anders als unsere Vorlage.
The new design is different from our model.
In real life
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