die  Peinlichkeit

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈpaɪnlɪçkaɪt/

😳 What Exactly is die Peinlichkeit?

Die Peinlichkeit (noun, feminine) primarily describes the feeling of embarrassment or awkwardness someone experiences in an uncomfortable or compromising situation. It can also refer to the situation or action itself that causes this feeling.

• Feeling: The uncomfortable sensation when one feels exposed, clumsy, or socially awkward. Example: Seine Wangen röteten sich vor Peinlichkeit. (His cheeks turned red with embarrassment.)
• Situation/Action: An event or act perceived as unpleasant, shameful, or tactless. Example: Das war eine echte Peinlichkeit für alle Beteiligten. (That was a real embarrassment for everyone involved.)

🚨 Attention: Although the feeling itself is often perceived as uncountable (die Peinlichkeit), the plural die Peinlichkeiten can be used to refer to specific embarrassing events or actions.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of Peinlichkeit in Detail

The noun „Peinlichkeit“ is feminine. The article is die.

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

The plural „Peinlichkeiten“ refers to concrete embarrassing incidents or situations.

Example Sentences

1. Die Peinlichkeit der Situation war ihm deutlich anzumerken.
   (The embarrassment of the situation was clearly noticeable on him.)
2. Er versuchte, die Peinlichkeit mit einem Witz zu überspielen.
   (He tried to cover up the embarrassment with a joke.)
3. Aus lauter Peinlichkeit wurde sie rot.
   (She turned red out of sheer embarrassment.)
4. Wir sollten diese kleinen Peinlichkeiten des Alltags nicht überbewerten.
   (We shouldn't overestimate these little everyday embarrassments.)
5. Seine Rede war voller Peinlichkeiten und Fehltritte.
   (His speech was full of embarrassments and blunders.)

💬 How to Use Peinlichkeit?

„Peinlichkeit“ is used to describe social awkwardness or the feeling associated with it.

• Describing the feeling: Often used with verbs like empfinden (to feel), spüren (to sense), fühlen (to feel) or prepositions like vor (with/from), aus (out of) (e.g., vor Peinlichkeit erröten - to blush with embarrassment, aus Peinlichkeit schweigen - to remain silent out of embarrassment).
• Evaluating a situation: An action or event can be called „eine Peinlichkeit“ (an embarrassment) (e.g., Der Auftritt war eine einzige Peinlichkeit. - The performance was a complete embarrassment.). In the plural („Peinlichkeiten“), it refers to multiple such incidents.
• Intensification: One can speak of großer Peinlichkeit (great embarrassment) or höchster Peinlichkeit (utmost embarrassment).
• Context: The word belongs more to standard language but can be emotionally charged in informal contexts.

There's little risk of confusion as the word is very specific. However, it's important to distinguish between the abstract feeling (singular) and concrete events (plural).

💡 Mnemonics for Peinlichkeit

Article Mnemonic: Think of other abstract nouns ending in -keit or -heit, like die Möglichkeit (possibility) or die Freiheit (freedom). Many of these are feminine, just like die Peinlichkeit.

Meaning Mnemonic: „Peinlichkeit“ contains the word „Pein“, which means pain or agony. An embarrassing situation often feels emotionally painful or very uncomfortable – it's a social 'pain'.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

😂 A Little Joke

Lehrer: „Was ist die höchste Form der Peinlichkeit?“
Fritzchen: „Wenn man durchs Schlüsselloch schaut und auf der anderen Seite ein Auge sieht!“

Translation:
Teacher: "What is the highest form of embarrassment?"
Little Fritz: "When you peek through the keyhole and see an eye on the other side!"

📜 Poem about Peinlichkeit

Rot werden die Wangen, der Blick senkt sich tief,
Ein Wort nur daneben, ein unbedachter Hieb.
Die Peinlichkeit schleicht sich ins Herz hinein,
Man wünscht sich woanders, ganz klein möcht' man sein.
Ein Stolpern, ein Stottern, ein falscher Moment,
Das Gefühl, das man kennt, wenn die Schamröte brennt.

Translation:
Cheeks turn red, the gaze lowers deep,
Just one wrong word, an unthinking sweep.
Embarrassment creeps into the heart's domain,
You wish you were elsewhere, to be tiny again.
A stumble, a stutter, a moment gone wrong,
The feeling you know, when the blush burns along.

❓ Riddle

Ich komme oft unerwartet, mache Wangen rot,
Lasse Worte stocken, bringe Herzen in Not.
Manchmal ist's 'ne Handlung, manchmal nur ein Blick,
Am liebsten wär' man unsichtbar in diesem Augenblick.

Was bin ich?

Translation:
I often come unexpectedly, make cheeks turn red,
Make words falter, fill hearts with dread.
Sometimes it's an action, sometimes just a glance,
You'd rather be invisible in that circumstance.

What am I? Solution: Die Peinlichkeit (Embarrassment)

🌐 Other Information

Word Formation: The word „Peinlichkeit“ is derived from the adjective peinlich (embarrassing, awkward) using the suffix -keit. The suffix -keit (like -heit) is used to form nouns from adjectives, describing a quality, state, or behavior. Nouns ending in -keit are always feminine (die).

Origin of „peinlich“: The adjective peinlich derives from „Pein“ (pain, agony, torment). Originally, „peinlich“ meant „painful“ or referred to torture (peinliche Befragung - interrogation under torture). The modern meaning „embarrassing, awkward“ developed later.