preposition

laut (gemäß)

according to

Mit stark hörbarem Geräusch; auch: nach einer Aussage oder Quelle.

Definition & meaning

laut has several related uses:

Loud; noisy — producing a lot of sound or having high volume.
- Die Musik ist laut. — The music is loud.
- Er spricht sehr laut. — He speaks very loudly.
According to; as stated by — used to refer to a source, rule, or document. In this meaning, it is a preposition.
- Laut dem Bericht ist die Situation unter Kontrolle. — According to the report, the situation is under control.
- Laut Gesetz ist das verboten. — According to the law, that is forbidden.

The capitalized noun der Laut means “sound,” especially an individual speech sound.

Grammar & Word origin

As an adjective, laut means “loud” and can be used attributively, predicatively, or adverbially:

ein lauter Lärm — a loud noise
Der Lärm ist laut. — The noise is loud.
Sie lacht laut. — She laughs loudly.

Its comparative forms are:

lauter — louder
am lautesten — loudest

As a preposition meaning “according to,” laut is commonly used with the dative in modern German, although the genitive also occurs, especially in formal language:

laut dem Plan — according to the plan
laut des Plans — according to the plan

The adjective comes from Middle High German lūt, meaning “sounding” or “loud.” The noun der Laut is derived from the same root.

Synonyms & antonyms

Meaning “loud”

geräuschvoll — noisy or full of sound; more formal and less common in everyday speech than laut.
lärmend — making an unpleasant or disruptive noise; usually more negative than laut.
schallend — loud and resonant, often used for laughter, voices, or applause.
krachend — making a harsh, crashing noise; much more specific than laut.

Antonyms:

leise — quiet or soft in volume; the most direct antonym.
still — silent or without noise; stronger than leise, which can also mean merely “quiet.”

Meaning “according to”

gemäß — according to or in accordance with; formal and often used for rules, laws, or instructions.
zufolge — according to; usually follows a noun in the dative, as in einem Bericht zufolge.
nach — according to, especially when referring to someone’s opinion or information, as in meiner Meinung nach.

There is no single exact antonym for laut in this meaning. Depending on the context, expressions such as entgegen (“contrary to”) or im Gegensatz zu (“in contrast to”) can express the opposite relationship.