verfehlt
inappropriate
Not reaching the intended goal; unsuitable, wrong, or inappropriate.
EXAMPLE
Seine Bemerkung in dieser ernsten Situation war völlig verfehlt.
His remark in this serious situation was completely inappropriate.
verfehlt
misguided / inappropriate
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Meanings
verfehlt
unfulfilled
Refers to a life that is perceived as meaningless, unhappy, or unfulfilled.
EXAMPLE
Im Alter blickte er auf ein verfehltes Leben zurück, in dem er seine Träume nie verfolgt hatte.
In old age, he looked back on an unfulfilled life in which he had never pursued his dreams.
Usage tips
Word structure
'Verfehlt' (misguided/inappropriate) is the past participle of the verb 'verfehlen' (to miss/fail to reach). It therefore describes something that has 'verfehlt' (missed) its goal and is therefore inappropriate or unsuccessful.
EXAMPLE
Der Versuch, die Situation zu retten, war leider völlig verfehlt.
The attempt to save the situation was unfortunately completely misguided.
Typical collocations
This adjective is often used with abstract nouns to express that something was inappropriate or wrong. Typical examples are 'eine verfehlte Politik' (a misguided policy), 'eine verfehlte Frage' (an inappropriate question), or 'ein verfehlter Witz' (an inappropriate joke).
EXAMPLE
Seine Kritik war gut gemeint, aber im Ton völlig verfehlt.
His criticism was well meant, but the tone was completely inappropriate.
Fixed collocation
In the meaning of an unfulfilled life, 'verfehlt' (unfulfilled/misguided) is used almost exclusively in the fixed collocation 'ein verfehltes Leben' (an unfulfilled life). It has a very strong, often tragic meaning.
EXAMPLE
Der Roman handelt von einem Künstler, der glaubt, ein verfehltes Leben geführt zu haben.
The novel is about an artist who believes he has led an unfulfilled life.
Compare with
verfehlt vs versäumt
missed
Verfehlt is used when an intended goal is not achieved or something is inappropriate. Versäumt, by contrast, describes an action, deadline, or opportunity that was not taken or was not dealt with in time.
verfehlt
Mit der neuen Regelung hat die Stadt ihr Ziel deutlich verfehlt.
With the new regulation, the city clearly failed to achieve its goal.
versäumt
Die Stadt hat versäumt, die neue Regelung rechtzeitig einzuführen.
The city failed to introduce the new regulation in time.
In real life
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