ängstlich
/ˈɛŋstlɪç/
The German word for scared is ängstlich.
ängstlich is an adjective used to describe someone who is afraid or frightened. It often carries a connotation of being a fearful or anxious person by nature, rather than just describing a momentary fright.
Meaning: afraid, frightened (adj)
Which one should you use?
While ängstlich describes a person's temperament or state, Germans more commonly use the phrase Angst haben to express being scared of a specific thing or situation. If you want to describe the immediate physical state of being frightened, such as by a loud noise, verängstigt is often a more precise synonym for being frightened or terrified.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, ängstlich will take various endings (such as -e, -er, -es, -en) depending on the gender, number and case of the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɛŋstlɪç/
Did you know?
- To describe someone as 'scaredy-cat', Germans use the word Angsthase, which literally means 'fear-hare'.
- The term Angstschweiß describes the cold sweat someone breaks into when they are ängstlich or terrified. German often combines nouns to create highly specific descriptions of physical reactions to emotion.
- The English word 'angst' is a direct loanword from the German Angst. In German, however, Angst is a common everyday word for fear, whereas in English it usually refers to a deeper, existential dread.
Examples in context
- Tom sieht ängstlich aus.Tom looks scared.This sentence shows how to use ängstlich to describe someone's appearance.Tatoeba #1968233 by Zaghawa, translation #1841449 by CK
- Ich war nicht ängstlich.I wasn't scared.This sentence uses ängstlich to describe a past state of not being scared.Tatoeba #10015268 by wolfgangth, translation #2247554 by CK
- Warum bist du so ängstlich?Why are you so scared?This sentence uses ängstlich to ask someone about their level of fear.Tatoeba #10248249 by wolfgangth, translation #7538512 by CK
- Meine Kollegin war ängstlich, alleine mit dem Kunden zu sprechen.My colleague was scared to speak to the customer alone.
- Ich habe Angst vor Spinnen.I'm scared of spiders.
- Ich habe Schiss, in der Achterbahn zu fahren.I'm scared to ride roller coasters.
- Ich habe total Bammel vor der Matheprüfung.I'm really scared about the math exam.
- Die Vorstellung, alleine im Dunkeln zu sein, macht mir Angst.The thought of being alone in the dark scares me.
- Mein kleiner Bruder hat immer Schiss vor dem Gewitter.My little brother is always scared of thunderstorms.
- Hast du Bammel, den Präsentationsvortrag zu halten?Are you scared to give the presentation talk?
- Die gruseligen Geschichten haben mich ängstlich gemacht.The creepy stories made me scared.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Hannah are talking about a movie.
- MaximilianWarst du beim Film ängstlich?Were you scared during the movie?
- HannahJa, ich bin ein ängstlicher Mensch.Yes, I am a scared person.
- MaximilianIch fand ihn gar nicht gruselig.I didn't find it scary at all.
- HannahIch war trotzdem sehr ängstlich.I was still very scared.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ängstlich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
