Ohnmächtigen

Ohnmächtigen is a German term formed from the adjective ohnmächtig, meaning unconscious or powerless, and used as a noun in the plural form die Ohnmächtigen. In this usage, it can refer literally to a group of people who have lost consciousness or metaphorically to individuals perceived as lacking power or influence. The word carries a strong rhetorical or descriptive tone and appears primarily in literary, historical, or journalistic contexts rather than in everyday medical reporting.

In medical language, the standard term for a person who has lost consciousness is bewusstlos, or the noun Ohnmacht for the event. The nominalized form Ohnmächtig is typically used as an adjective describing a patient, and its plural die Ohnmächtigen is more common in non-clinical writing when the author intends to speak about people collectively rather than about a single patient.

Usage and nuance: when used literally, Ohnmächtigen designates individuals experiencing fainting or syncope, though this is less common in contemporary clinical style. When used figuratively, the phrase can describe groups perceived as powerless or marginalized, similar to terms like die Machtlosen. The term often appears in historical or political analyses, literary works, or argumentative prose to emphasize vulnerability or lack of agency.

Related terms include Ohnmacht (fainting or power loss), bewusstlos (unconscious), and Machtlosigkeit (powerlessness). Ohnmächtigen remains a stylistic option in German, its meaning clarified by context through whether the reference is physical unconsciousness or social/political impotence.