verschollen
lose
Definition & meaning
verschollen means missing, lost without a trace, or whereabouts unknown. It is most often used for a person who has disappeared and has not been found for a long time. It can also describe objects, documents, expeditions, or works that can no longer be located.
It often carries the implication that the person or thing may be presumed lost or dead, but it does not state this with certainty.
- eine verschollene Person — a missing person whose whereabouts are unknown
- ein verschollenes Schiff — a ship that disappeared and was never found
- seit Jahren verschollen sein — to have been missing for years
- als verschollen gelten — to be considered missing or lost
The nominalized form der Verschollene means “the missing man/person”; die Verschollene means “the missing woman/person.”
Grammar & Word origin
verschollen is an adjective and also the past-participial form used in expressions such as verschollen sein. It is commonly used:
- predicatively: Er ist verschollen. — He is missing.
- attributively: der verschollene Forscher — the missing researcher
- nominalized: die Verschollene — the missing woman
The word is historically connected with verschallen, meaning “to die away” or “to fade into silence.” Its modern meaning developed metaphorically: someone or something has disappeared as if it had faded away.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- vermisst — missing; more neutral and commonly used in official reports or searches. It does not necessarily suggest that the person has been missing for a very long time.
- verschwunden — disappeared or gone; broader and more neutral, without necessarily implying a long-term unresolved disappearance.
- abgängig — missing or absent; formal, often used in police, military, or administrative contexts.
- unauffindbar — impossible to find; focuses on the failure to locate someone or something rather than on the mysterious disappearance.
Antonyms
- aufgefunden — found or recovered; the direct opposite when referring to a missing person or object.
- wiederaufgetaucht — reappeared or turned up again; emphasizes that someone or something has returned after being missing.
- anwesend — present; an opposite in situations where the person’s physical presence is being contrasted with being missing.
Common phrases & collocations
- verschollen sein — to be missing
- als verschollen gelten — to be considered missing
- spurlos verschollen sein — to disappear without a trace
- seit Jahren verschollen — missing for years
- ein verschollener Brief — a lost or missing letter
- eine verschollene Expedition — an expedition that disappeared and was never found
Make “verschollen” part of your vocabulary.
Build your German vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.
Examples
Das Schiff bleibt für immer verschollen.adjective
The ship remains lost forever.
Keep exploring German
Learn words from the content you love.
Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).
Scan for iPhone & iPad