kraß
garish · crazy · extreme
Sehr stark, heftig oder ungewöhnlich. Man sagt es oft, wenn etwas beeindruckt oder schockt.
Definition & meaning
kraß is the old German spelling of krass. In modern German, it is written krass, because the vowel a is short and is therefore followed by ss, not ß.
The word is an informal adjective with several related meanings:
-
Extreme, shocking, or unbelievable
It describes something unusually intense, surprising, or difficult to accept.- Das ist kraß! — “That’s unbelievable!”
- Das war ein krasser Fehler. — “That was a really serious mistake.”
-
Severe, blatant, or drastic
It can emphasize the seriousness or obviousness of something.- ein krasser Unterschied — “a huge difference”
- ein krasser Gegensatz — “a stark contrast”
-
Very impressive or exceptionally good
In colloquial speech, especially among younger speakers, it can express admiration.- Der Film war krass. — “The film was awesome/intense.”
The exact meaning depends strongly on context and tone. It can be positive, negative, or simply express strong surprise.
Grammar & Word origin
- Part of speech: adjective
- Modern spelling: krass
- Old spelling: kraß
- Comparative: krasser — “more extreme/intense”
- Superlative: am krassesten — “most extreme/intense”
The spelling kraß follows the old German orthographic convention. Since the spelling reform, ß is generally written as ss after a short vowel, giving the modern form krass.
The word originally came from Latin crassus, meaning “thick” or “coarse.” Its meaning later developed toward “rough,” “obvious,” and eventually “extreme” or “shocking.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- extrem — “extreme”; more neutral and applicable to intensity, degree, or circumstances.
- heftig — “intense” or “severe”; often used for emotions, conflicts, weather, or physical effects.
- stark — “strong”; broader and less colloquial than krass.
- drastisch — “drastic”; emphasizes serious or far-reaching consequences.
- auffällig — “conspicuous” or “striking”; focuses on being noticeable rather than extreme.
- unglaublich — “incredible” or “unbelievable”; emphasizes surprise or difficulty of belief.
Antonyms
- mild — “mild” or “moderate”; indicates a lack of severity.
- mäßig — “moderate”; suggests an average or limited degree.
- normal — “normal”; contrasts with something unusual or extreme.
- unauffällig — “inconspicuous”; contrasts with something striking or shocking.
- harmlos — “harmless”; contrasts with something serious, severe, or alarming.
Common phrases & collocations
- ein krasser Unterschied — a huge difference
- ein krasser Gegensatz — a stark contrast
- ein krasser Fehler — a serious or blatant mistake
- eine krasse Situation — an extreme or difficult situation
- Das ist krass! — That’s unbelievable, shocking, or awesome.
- krass übertreiben — to exaggerate greatly
- krass unterschätzen — to underestimate severely
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Examples
Manche Kleidung wirkt einfach zu kraß.other
Some clothing just looks too garish.
Er fand es echt kraß, wie schnell die Lösung gekommen ist.other
He found it really crazy how quickly the solution came.
Seine Meinung war für viele zu kraß.other
His opinion was too extreme for many people.
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