noun

der Gedanke, -n

thought

Etwas, das man im Kopf hat, wie eine Idee oder eine Überlegung.

Gedanke means a thought, idea, or notion—something that occurs in the mind.

It can have several related meanings:

A thought or mental process
An idea, opinion, memory, or reflection in someone’s mind.
- Dieser Gedanke lässt mich nicht los. — “I can’t get this thought out of my head.”
An idea or concept
A plan, suggestion, or underlying concept.
- Das ist ein guter Gedanke. — “That is a good idea.”
An intention or consideration
What someone has in mind or is considering.
- Ich hatte den Gedanken, früher zu gehen. — “I was thinking of leaving earlier.”

The plural is Gedanken, which can mean “thoughts” or “ideas.”

Gender: masculine
Article: der
Plural: die Gedanken
Declension: weak masculine noun
- nominative: der Gedanke
- accusative: den Gedanken
- dative: dem Gedanken
- genitive: des Gedankens

The word is related to the verb denken (“to think”). It developed from an older Germanic noun meaning a mental act or product of thinking.

die Idee — “idea”; often suggests a creative, practical, or concrete proposal.
der Einfall — “inspiration” or “brainwave”; usually refers to a sudden idea.
die Überlegung — “consideration” or “deliberation”; emphasizes careful thinking.
die Vorstellung — “notion,” “image,” or “conception”; often refers to an image or idea someone has in their mind.
der Gedankengang — “train of thought”; describes the logical progression of thoughts.

There is no single exact antonym for Gedanke. Depending on the context, possible opposites include:

die Gedankenlosigkeit — “thoughtlessness” or a lack of consideration.
das Vergessen — “forgetting” or the absence of a remembered thought.
die Leere — “emptiness,” sometimes used figuratively for an absence of thoughts or ideas.

einen Gedanken haben — to have a thought or idea
über etwas nachdenken — to think about something
sich Gedanken machen — to worry or give something serious thought
auf den Gedanken kommen — to get the idea
den Gedanken an etwas verwerfen — to reject or abandon the idea of something
ein guter Gedanke — a good idea
ein beunruhigender Gedanke — a disturbing thought
der erste Gedanke — the first thought
Gedanken lesen — to read someone’s mind
in Gedanken sein — to be lost in thought