ondulieren
wave
Definition & meaning
Ondulieren means to make hair wavy, usually by styling it. It can refer to creating gentle waves or a more deliberately shaped hairstyle, often with salon techniques.
Grammar & Word origin
Ondulieren is a regular, non-separable verb: onduliert (present participle/past participle), ondulierte (simple past), and hat onduliert (present perfect). It is usually transitive: someone ondulates another person’s hair.
The verb was borrowed from French onduler, “to wave,” ultimately from Latin unda, “wave.” The ending -ieren is common in German verbs borrowed from other languages.
Synonyms & antonyms
- wellen — to make wavy; a broad, everyday alternative, while ondulieren sounds more like a hairstyling term.
- locken — to curl; usually suggests more defined curls than the softer waves associated with ondulieren.
- kräuseln — to make curly or crimped, often in small, tight waves.
A possible opposite is glätten , “to straighten” or “smooth,” which removes rather than creates waves.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Die Friseurin onduliert meine langen Haare.verb
The hairdresser waves my long hair.
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