Lauter
louder
Definition & meaning
Lauter has several meanings, depending on context:
-
Pure, clear, or sincere — usually literary or formal.
Ein lauterer Charakter means “a person of pure or upright character.”
Related forms: lauter , lauterer , lautere . -
Nothing but; all; a whole lot of — used before a noun, often to emphasize that something consists entirely of one thing.
Lauter Unsinn means “nothing but nonsense”; lauter nette Leute means “nothing but nice people.”
Linked phrases: lauter Unsinn , lauter nette Leute . -
Louder — the comparative form of laut (“loud”), often used for increasing the volume of sound.
Die Musik wird lauter means “The music is getting louder”; Mach lauter! means “Turn it up!”
laut .
Grammar & Word origin
As an adjective meaning “pure” or “sincere,” lauter takes ordinary adjective endings, as in lauterer or lauterem . In the sense “nothing but,” it usually comes directly before a noun: lauter Freude means “out of sheer joy.”
The “louder” meaning is the comparative of laut . German adjectives are normally lowercase, so Lauter is capitalized only at the beginning of a sentence, unless it is being used as a name.
The “pure” sense comes from an older German adjective meaning “clear” or “pure.” The “louder” sense is a regular comparative form of laut.
Synonyms & antonyms
For the sense “pure or sincere,” synonyms include rein , aufrichtig , and redlich . Rein emphasizes purity, while aufrichtig and redlich particularly suggest honesty and integrity. Antonyms include unlauter and unehrlich .
For the sense “nothing but,” nur and nichts als are close alternatives. They are generally less expressive than lauter, which can suggest an abundant or striking amount.
For the comparative “louder,” the antonym is leiser [?](vocabuo://word/leiser]—“quieter.”
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Examples
Die Kinder sind heute lauter als gestern.adjective
The children are louder today than yesterday.
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