adjectiveverb

verschieden

different

Es beschreibt Dinge, die nicht gleich sind, sondern Unterschiede haben.

Definition & meaning

Verschieden is an adjective and means different, various, or distinct.

Different or unlike
- Die beiden Meinungen sind verschieden.
  “The two opinions are different.”
- Die Ergebnisse sind sehr verschieden.
  “The results are very different.”
Several or various
- Sie hat verschiedene Gründe genannt.
  “She gave various reasons.”
- In verschiedenen Ländern gelten unterschiedliche Regeln.
  “Different countries have different rules.”
Euphemistically: deceased
In elevated, formal, or old-fashioned language, verschieden can mean deceased or dead:
- Der Verstorbene hinterließ drei Kinder.
  “The deceased left three children.”
- This meaning is much less common in everyday modern German than verstorben or tot .

As an adverb, verschieden can describe things that differ:

Die beiden Fälle sind verschieden zu beurteilen.
“The two cases must be assessed differently.”

Grammar & Word origin

Verschieden is an adjective. Its ending changes according to the noun, case, gender, and determiner:

ein verschiedener Grund — a different reason
verschiedene Gründe — various reasons
mit verschiedenen Gründen — with various reasons

It can be compared, although comparison is not always necessary:

verschiedener — more different
am verschiedensten — the most different

The word is historically related to scheiden , meaning to separate or to part. The prefix ver- contributes to the sense of separation or change. The meaning “deceased” comes from the verb verscheiden , an elevated word meaning to die.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

unterschiedlich — different or differing; usually the closest neutral synonym
anders — different or otherwise, often in relation to something already mentioned
abweichend — deviating from a standard, expectation, or norm
uneinheitlich — inconsistent or not uniform
allerlei — all kinds of or various; emphasizes variety rather than contrast

Verschieden is relatively broad: it can describe two or more things that are unlike each other, while allerlei mainly emphasizes a collection of many different kinds.