meinetwegen

Definition & meaning

Meinetwegen has several related meanings, depending on context:

• for my sake; because of me: Er ist meinetwegen gekommen. — “He came for my sake” or “He came because of me.”
• as far as I’m concerned; if you like: Meinetwegen kannst du gehen. — “You can go, as far as I’m concerned.”
• Fine by me; I don’t mind: Used on its own, Meinetwegen! can mean “Fine!” or “Whatever you prefer.”

The tone can be neutral or, in some contexts, slightly resigned or dismissive.

Grammar & Word origin

Meinetwegen is an adverb, usually written as one word and lowercase except at the beginning of a sentence. It combines mein (“my”) with wegen (“because of” or “for the sake of”). In modern German, it often functions as a fixed expression rather than being interpreted literally.

Synonyms & antonyms

Possible synonyms include:

• von mir aus ↗ — “as far as I’m concerned” or “go ahead”; often used to give permission or express indifference.
• mir zuliebe ↗ — “for my sake”; emphasizes that someone does something to please or help the speaker.
• wegen mir ↗ — “because of me”; usually refers more directly to the speaker being the reason for something.

There is no single direct antonym. In a context where meinetwegen means “I’m fine with it,” an opposite could be gegen meinen Willen ↗, meaning “against my will.”

Common phrases & collocations

• Meinetwegen! ↗ — “Fine by me!” or “If you insist!”
• Meinetwegen kannst du … ↗ — “As far as I’m concerned, you can …”
• Das musst du nicht meinetwegen tun. ↗ — “You don’t have to do that for my sake.”