German Courage & Bravery Vocabulary
This set covers the vocabulary of courage and its absence, from the everyday mutig (brave, courageous) to sharper words like waghalsig (foolhardy, daredevil) and verwegen (daring, in a way that borders on reckless). One trap for English speakers: German splits "brave" into several words with real differences in meaning, so mutig, tapfer, and heldenhaft aren't interchangeable the way English "brave" often is.
Learn these 19 words
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All 19 words
- feigeA2
cowardly
Es war feige, ihr die Wahrheit vorzuenthalten. — It was cowardly to withhold the truth from her.
- tapferA2
brave
Er kämpfte tapfer gegen seine Angst. — He fought bravely against his fear.
plural: die Feiglinge
coward
Nenn mich bitte nicht einen Feigling. — Please don't call me a coward.
plural: die Mute
courage
Man braucht viel Mut, um in einem fremden Land ganz neu anzufangen. — You need a lot of courage to start over completely in a foreign country.
- mutigB1
courageous, brave
Es war sehr mutig von dir, deine Meinung laut zu sagen. — It was very brave of you to speak your opinion aloud.
plural: die Mutproben
test of courage, dare
Die Kinder machten eine gefährliche Mutprobe. — The children performed a dangerous dare.
to risk
Sie riskierte ihr Leben für Fremde. — She risked her life for strangers.
bravery
Ihre Tapferkeit beeindruckte alle Zuschauer sehr. — Her bravery impressed all the spectators greatly.
plural: die Dreistigkeiten
forwardness / audacity / boldness
Seine Dreistigkeit, das zu sagen, überraschte alle. — His audacity in saying that surprised everyone.
cowardice
Seine Feigheit war allen bekannt. — His cowardice was known to everyone.
fearless
Die Feuerwehrleute handelten furchtlos und sehr schnell. — The firefighters acted fearlessly and very quickly.
heroic / valiant
Sein heldenhafter Einsatz rettete viele Leben. — His heroic effort saved many lives.
badass / tough
Mit knallharter Einstellung kämpfte er. — With a badass attitude, he fought.
- kühnB2
bold
Sein kühner Plan überraschte alle Kollegen. — His bold plan surprised all his colleagues.
- verwegenB2
overly bold / daring
Sein verwegenes Abenteuer hätte schiefgehen können. — His overly bold adventure could have gone wrong.
civil courage
Zivilcourage bedeutet, für andere einzustehen. — Civil courage means standing up for others.
unflinching with courage / unshrinking
Er zeigte ein unverzagtes Verhalten. — He showed unflinching courage.
doggedness (ruggedness / determination)
Mit großer Verbissenheit verfolgte er sein Ziel. — With great doggedness he pursued his goal.
daring / foolhardy / daredevil
Ein waghalsiger Stunt beeindruckte das Publikum. — A daring stunt impressed the audience.
How to learn this set
Notice that most of the abstract nouns here end in -heit or -keit and are all feminine: die Tapferkeit, die Feigheit, die Dreistigkeit. Once you know that pattern, you can guess the gender of similar noun forms elsewhere without memorizing each one separately. For the adjectives, group them by intensity rather than by translation: feige and furchtlos sit at the two extremes, while kühn, verwegen, and waghalsig climb a scale from bold to reckless. Drill der Mut and der Feigling together since they're the two irregular-gender nouns in the set that don't fit the -heit/-keit pattern, so they're worth memorizing by rote.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between mutig and tapfer in German?
Mutig describes someone who acts despite fear, like speaking up or trying something new. Tapfer leans toward enduring pain or hardship without complaint, the word you'd use for a kid getting a shot at the doctor. They overlap a lot, but tapfer has that stoic, endurance-focused shade that mutig doesn't.
What does Zivilcourage mean?
Zivilcourage means the courage to speak up or intervene in everyday situations, like stopping harassment on the street or reporting wrongdoing at work. There's no single English word for it; "civic courage" is the closest but rarely used.
Is waghalsig a compliment or an insult in German?
It's usually a mild criticism. Waghalsig describes risk-taking that ignores danger, like driving too fast or free climbing without gear. It's closer to "reckless" than "brave," even though the person involved might see it as bravery.
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