submission
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submission
The act of yielding to the will, power, or authority of another person or a superior force and giving up resistance.
Die Geschichte des Volkes ist von Kampf und nicht von Unterwerfung geprägt.
The history of the people is shaped by struggle, not by submission.
submissiveness
A state of complete dependence or subservience in a relationship, often psychological in nature.
Die Therapeutin sprach von einem Muster der emotionalen Unterwerfung in ihrer Partnerschaft.
The therapist spoke of a pattern of emotional submissiveness in her partnership.
The word derives from the verb 'unterwerfen' (to subjugate, to submit), which consists of 'unter' (under) and 'werfen' (to throw). The literal idea is to 'throw' oneself or something 'under' the power of another.
Die bedingungslose Unterwerfung der feindlichen Truppen beendete den Krieg.
The unconditional submission of the enemy troops ended the war.
'Unterwerfung' (submission) is the noun corresponding to the reflexive verb 'sich unterwerfen' (to submit). This verb is often used with the dative to name the authority one yields to: 'sich jemandem unterwerfen' (to submit to someone).
Er weigerte sich, sich dem Willen des Chefs zu unterwerfen.
He refused to submit to the boss's will.
'Unterwerfung' (submission) is often used with the preposition 'unter' (under/to) and the dative to describe the power or authority one yields to.
Die Unterwerfung unter eine fremde Herrschaft war für das Volk unvorstellbar.
Submission to foreign rule was unimaginable for the people.
The second meaning is used almost exclusively in psychological or sociological contexts. Words like 'emotional', 'psychisch' (psychological), or 'in einer Beziehung' (in a relationship) point to this meaning.
In der Therapie wurde ihr Muster der psychischen Unterwerfung deutlich.
In therapy, her pattern of psychological submissiveness became clear.
dependence / addiction
Both Abhängigkeit and Unterwerfung can describe a lack of independence in relation to another person. Abhängigkeit means that someone relies on help or support without submitting to that person's will. Unterwerfung, by contrast, implies accepting someone's power or authority and giving up resistance.
Nach der Unterwerfung unter den Anführer widersprach niemand mehr seinen Befehlen.
After submitting to the leader, no one contradicted his orders anymore.
Wegen seiner Abhängigkeit von ihrem Einkommen konnte er die Wohnung nicht allein verlassen.
Because he depended on her income, he could not leave the apartment on his own.
