bleich
pale
Jemand sieht sehr hell oder farblos im Gesicht aus, oft weil er krank oder erschrocken ist.
Definition & meaning
bleich is an adjective meaning pale, especially unusually light in color because of fear, illness, shock, exhaustion, or lack of blood in the face.
It can also mean:
-
Pale-faced or bloodless
- Er wurde bleich vor Schreck. — He went pale with fright.
-
Faded or lacking strong color
- Das Bild hat bleiche Farben. — The picture has faded/pale colors.
-
Pale and lifeless in appearance, sometimes in a literary or figurative sense
- Das bleiche Mondlicht — the pale moonlight
The comparative forms are bleicher (paler) and am bleichsten (the palest).
Grammar & Word origin
bleich is an adjective. Like other German adjectives, it takes different endings depending on the noun, article, case, and gender:
- ein bleiches Gesicht — a pale face
- eine bleiche Haut — pale skin
- der bleiche Mann — the pale man
It is related to the verb erbleichen [ ] — “to turn pale” or “to grow pale” — and ultimately comes from an old Germanic root referring to a light or pale color.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- blass [ ] — pale; the most common everyday synonym, often used for a person’s face or skin. Bleich can sound slightly more literary or dramatic.
- fahl [ ] — pallid, sallow, or dull-colored; usually suggests an unhealthy or unattractive pale color.
- farblos [ ] — colorless; emphasizes the absence of color rather than a person’s physical paleness.
- weißlich [ ] — whitish; describes a color that is somewhat white, without necessarily implying illness or fear.
Antonyms
- farbig [ ] — colorful; the general opposite when describing objects or images.
- kräftig [ ] — strong or vivid in color; contrasts with weak, pale colors.
- rötlich [ ] — reddish; can be an opposite when describing a person’s complexion.
- rosig [ ] — rosy and healthy-looking; contrasts with a pale or bloodless face.
Common phrases & collocations
- bleich werden [ [?](vocabuo://word/bleich werden) ] — to go pale
- bleich vor Schreck [ [?](vocabuo://word/bleich vor Schreck) ] — pale with fright
- bleich vor Angst [ [?](vocabuo://word/bleich vor Angst) ] — pale with fear
- ein bleiches Gesicht [ [?](vocabuo://word/ein bleiches Gesicht) ] — a pale face
- bleiche Haut [ [?](vocabuo://word/bleiche Haut) ] — pale skin
- bleiches Licht [ [?](vocabuo://word/bleiches Licht) ] ] — pale or weak light
- bleiche Farben [ [?](vocabuo://word/bleiche Farben) ] — pale or faded colors
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Examples
Nach der langen Krankheit wirkte sie sehr bleich.adjective
After the long illness, she appeared very pale.
Die bleichen Gesichter verrieten ihre große Angst.adjective
The pale faces revealed their great fear.
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