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adjectiveadverbinterjection

wahrhaftig

truly

Echt, ehrlich und ohne Lüge.

Definition & meaning

wahrhaftig is an adjective and adverb meaning:

  1. Truthful, sincere, genuine
    It describes someone or something that is honest, authentic, and in accordance with the truth.

    • a truly sincere person = eine wahrhaftige Person

  2. Truly, indeed, really
    As an adverb, it intensifies a statement and can express strong affirmation or surprise. It is somewhat formal or literary.

    • That is truly remarkable.
    • Wahrhaftig! can mean “Indeed!” or “Truly!”

Compared with wirklich , wahrhaftig often sounds more elevated, solemn, or morally serious.

Grammar & Word origin

  • Part of speech: adjective and adverb
  • As an adjective, it is inflected normally:
    • ein wahrhaftiger Mensch
    • eine wahrhaftige Aussage
    • wahrhaftige Worte
  • As an adverb, it remains unchanged:
    • Er ist wahrhaftig klug. — “He is truly clever.”

The word is formed from wahr (“true”) and the suffix -haftig, which expresses the quality of possessing or displaying something. It is related to Wahrheit (“truth”) and Wahrhaftigkeit (“truthfulness, sincerity”).

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • wirklich — “really, actual”; common and neutral, whereas wahrhaftig is more emphatic or elevated.
  • tatsächlich — “actually, in fact”; focuses on factual reality rather than sincerity.
  • ehrlich — “honest”; mainly describes a person’s behavior or statements.
  • aufrichtig — “sincere, candid”; emphasizes inner sincerity and openness.
  • echt — “genuine, real”; more informal and often used for objects, emotions, or experiences.
  • in der Tat — “indeed”; an emphatic phrase, usually referring to the truth of a statement.

Antonyms

  • unwahr — “untrue”; the direct opposite when wahrhaftig means truthful.
  • unehrlich — “dishonest”; describes a person or behavior lacking honesty.
  • falsch — “false, incorrect”; broader than unwahr and applicable to mistakes or incorrect information.
  • lügnerisch — “lying, deceitful”; specifically associated with telling lies.
  • scheinheilig — “hypocritical”; describes someone who pretends to have virtuous beliefs or feelings.

Common phrases & collocations

  • wahrhaftige Liebe — true, sincere love
  • wahrhaftige Worte — truthful or sincere words
  • wahrhaftig sein — to be truthful or sincere
  • wahrhaftig gesagt — “truthfully speaking” or “to be honest”
  • Wahrhaftig! — “Indeed!” or “Truly!”; an emphatic, somewhat old-fashioned expression

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Examples

Er hat wahrhaftig alles getan, um zu helfen.adverb

He truly did everything to help.

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