German Moods & Temperament Vocabulary
This set covers the vocabulary Germans use to describe someone's inner weather: das Gemüt, die Laune, and das Temperament all sit at the core of how you talk about mood and personality in German. English speakers often flatten these into one word, "mood" or "temper," but German splits them apart: Laune is the mood of the moment, Stimmung is more of a shared or ambient atmosphere, and Temperament is closer to a person's basic energy level or fieriness. Getting this split right will make you sound far more precise than reaching for "mood" every time.
Learn these 17 words
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All 17 words
plural: die Gemüter
disposition, temper
Er hat ein ruhiges Gemüt. — He has a calm disposition.
- gereiztB1
irritated, irritable
Nach der langen Reise war sie gereizt. — After the long trip she was irritable.
plural: die Launen
mood
Heute geht es mir besser, aber gestern hatte ich richtig schlechte Laune. — I feel better today, but yesterday I was in a really bad mood.
- sensibelB1
sensitive
Er ist ein sehr sensibler Mensch. — He is a very sensitive person.
plural: die Stimmungen
mood, atmosphere
Es war eine tolle Party. Die Stimmung war sehr gut. — It was a great party. The atmosphere was very good.
plural: die Temperamente
temperament
Sie hat ein feuriges Temperament. — She has a fiery temperament.
- abfindenB2
to come to terms with
Er musste sich mit dem Verlust abfinden. — He had to come to terms with the loss.
plural: die Ambivalenzen
ambivalence / conflicting feelings
Es gibt eine gewisse Ambivalenz in meinen Gefühlen. — There is a certain ambivalence in my feelings.
sensitivity
Seine Empfindlichkeit gegenüber Kritik ist bemerkenswert. — His sensitivity to criticism is remarkable.
- gebanntB2
banned / spellbound
Gebannt saß er vor dem Film. — Spellbound, he sat before the film.
absentminded(ly)
Geistesabwesend starrte er aus dem Fenster. — Absentmindedly, he stared out the window.
- grantigB2
grumpy / huffy / grouchy
Sein grantiger Ausdruck versetzte alle in Angst. — His grouchy expression frightened everyone.
capricious / moody given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior
Sie ist viel zu kapriziert und unberechenbar. — She is far too capricious and unpredictable.
- kauzigC1
cranky / odd
Sein kauzig Verhalten amüsierte alle. — His cranky behavior amused everyone.
ill-tempered / scowling / morose
Sein missmutig Gesichtsausdruck deutete auf schlechte Laune hin. — His morose facial expression indicated a bad mood.
stillness / motionlessness
Die Regungslosigkeit des unbewegten Steins war absolut. — The stillness of the unmoving stone was absolute.
plural: die Spleens
a whimsy / eccentricity / quirk
Sein eigener Spleen macht ihn unberechenbar. — His own eccentricity makes him unpredictable.
How to learn this set
Notice that most of the abstract nouns here are feminine and end in -heit, -keit, or -ung: die Empfindlichkeit, die Regungslosigkeit, die Ambivalenz, die Stimmung, die Laune. Learn that pattern once and you can guess the gender of similar nouns you meet later. For the adjectives describing bad moods, group gereizt, grantig, missmutig, and kauzig together and drill them as a mini synonym-set for "in a foul mood," since a native speaker reaches for whichever one fits the register, from mildly grumpy (grantig) to genuinely odd and prickly (kauzig). Also pin down abfinden with its reflexive use, sich mit etwas abfinden, to come to terms with something, because the prefix ab- here signals resignation or acceptance, not the "away from" sense it has in other verbs.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Laune and Stimmung?
Laune is your personal, often changeable mood, good or bad, like waking up in a bad Laune. Stimmung is broader and can describe the mood of a room, a group, or an event, as well as your own feelings, so a party has Stimmung, not Laune.
What does gebannt mean in German?
Gebannt literally comes from the verb bannen (to banish or put under a spell), but in everyday use it means spellbound or riveted, as in gebannt zusehen, to watch transfixed. It has nothing to do with being banned from a place.
Is Temperament the same as Gemüt in German?
No. Temperament describes how energetic, fiery, or lively someone is, like ein hitziges Temperament. Gemüt is closer to someone's inner emotional disposition or state of mind, the quieter, deeper layer under the temperament.
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