verschieden
different
Not the same or identical; differing in one or more characteristics.
EXAMPLE
Obwohl sie Zwillinge sind, haben sie sehr verschiedene Charaktere.
Although they are twins, they have very different personalities.
verschieden
different / various
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Meanings
verschieden
various
Describes an indefinite number of several different things or people; synonymous with 'several' or 'various'.
EXAMPLE
Es gibt verschiedene Gründe für seine Entscheidung.
There are various reasons for his decision.
verschieden
deceased
A formal and elevated paraphrase for 'deceased' or 'dead'.
EXAMPLE
Der hochverehrte Künstler ist letztes Jahr sanft verschieden.
The highly respected artist passed away peacefully last year.
Usage tips
Word family
The word 'verschieden' is related to the verb 'scheiden', which means 'to separate'. Things that are 'verschieden' (different) are therefore separate from one another or differ from one another.
EXAMPLE
Unsere Interessen sind so verschieden, dass wir selten etwas zusammen unternehmen.
Our interests are so different that we rarely do anything together.
Context clue
The position in the sentence helps you recognize the meaning. If 'verschieden' comes before a plural noun, it usually means 'several' or 'various'. If it comes after the noun with the verb 'sein' (to be), it means 'different'.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe verschiedene Bücher zu diesem Thema gelesen.
I have read various books on this topic.
Use with 'von'
When you want to say what something differs from, you use the preposition 'von' followed by the dative.
EXAMPLE
Diese Kultur ist sehr verschieden von unserer.
This culture is very different from ours.
Register and style
In the meaning 'verstorben' (deceased), 'verschieden' is a very formal and elevated paraphrase. You mainly find it in written language, for example in obituaries or official speeches.
EXAMPLE
Der Autor ist vor zwei Jahren im Alter von 90 Jahren verschieden.
The author passed away two years ago at the age of 90.
Compare with
verschieden vs ander
other / different
Ander often refers to a different person or thing, even if it is similar to the one mentioned before. Verschieden, by contrast, highlights differences in characteristics. When switching to a new object, ander is appropriate; when comparing characteristics, verschieden is appropriate.
verschieden
Die beiden Stühle sind verschieden, weil nur einer Armlehnen hat.
The two chairs are different because only one of them has armrests.
ander
Ich nehme einen anderen Stuhl, obwohl er genauso aussieht.
I’ll take a different chair, even though it looks exactly the same.
In real life
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