able to defend oneself
wehrhaft – wehrhafter – am wehrhaftesten
Loading your saved state.
capable of defending itself
Able and willing to defend itself against an attack or threat and to resist.
Der kleine Hund wirkt trotz seiner Größe sehr wehrhaft.
Despite its size, the small dog seems very capable of defending itself.
defense-ready
Having the necessary means and willingness for military defense.
Der Staat muss wehrhaft bleiben, um seine Bevölkerung zu schützen.
The state must remain defense-ready in order to protect its population.
militant democracy
A democracy that actively defends its free and constitutional order against its enemies.
Eine wehrhafte Demokratie darf die Abschaffung ihrer eigenen Grundrechte nicht einfach hinnehmen.
A militant democracy must not simply accept the abolition of its own fundamental rights.
| basic form | wehrhaft |
|---|---|
| comparative | wehrhafter |
| superlative | am wehrhaftesten |
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to wehrhaft.
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to wehrhaft.
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to wehrhaft.
'Wehrhaft' (capable of defending itself) is made up of 'Wehr' (defense) and the ending '-haft'. '-haft' indicates that someone or something possesses a particular quality; 'wehrhaft' therefore describes the ability or willingness to resist.
Auch die wehrhafte Katze ließ sich nicht aus dem Garten vertreiben.
Even the feisty cat refused to be driven out of the garden.
In the sense of military defense capability, 'wehrhaft' (defense-ready) often appears with words related to the state and defense. Typical collocations include 'ein wehrhafter Staat' (a defense-ready state), 'eine wehrhafte Gesellschaft' (a defense-ready society), and 'wehrhafte Streitkräfte' (defense-ready armed forces).
Ein wehrhafter Staat braucht gut ausgebildete Streitkräfte.
A defense-ready state needs well-trained armed forces.
'Wehrhafte Demokratie' (militant democracy) is an established political and legal term. It refers to a democracy that actively protects its constitution and its free basic order against antidemocratic efforts.
Die wehrhafte Demokratie muss ihre Institutionen gegen extremistische Angriffe schützen.
A militant democracy must protect its institutions against extremist attacks.
