der Hagel, -

Meaning (English)

1. Hail: small balls or lumps of ice that fall from the sky during a storm.
   Example meaning: “Es gibt Hagel.” = “There is hail.”
2. (Figurative) a hail / barrage / shower of something (often negative): a large amount coming suddenly and forcefully, e.g. criticism, blows, bullets.
   Example meaning: “ein Hagel von Kritik” = “a hail/barrage of criticism”

Word parts

• Hagel is a simple noun (no separable parts in modern German usage).
• Related word family: hageln (verb) = “to hail” / “to come down in a barrage” (e.g. “Es hagelt Kritik.”)

German synonyms

Weather sense:

• Eiskörner (ice pellets; close in meaning, often descriptive)
• Graupel (soft hail/sleet pellets; not identical, but related)

Figurative sense:

• Schauer (shower)
• Salve (volley)
• Sturm (storm, e.g. ein Sturm der Entrüstung)
• Flut (flood, often for messages/complaints)

German antonyms (if applicable)

Weather sense:

• No direct single-word opposite, but common contrasts are:
  • Sonnenschein (sunshine)
  • Hitze (heat)

Figurative sense:

• Lob (praise), Anerkennung (recognition) can function as opposites to “Hagel von Kritik” depending on context.