Unzählige

Unzählige is a German adjective meaning innumerable or countless, describing a quantity so large that it cannot be readily counted. It is formed from un- (not) + zählbar (countable) and is widely used in everyday language and literature to convey vastness or indefiniteness.

Usage: It typically precedes a plural noun without an article, as in unzählige Sterne or unzählige Möglichkeiten. In combination with a definite article or a demonstrative phrase it takes the weak inflection: die unzähligen Sterne. The form can also be used nominally: Die Unzähligen can refer to a large, indefinite group of people or things, especially in rhetorical or literary contexts.

Context and nuance: The term carries a qualitative emphasis rather than a precise number, often signaling abundance rather than a fixed count. It can appear in descriptive prose, journalism, and poetry to evoke scale or impression.

Mathematics and related usage: In formal contexts, German typically uses abzählbar for countable and unabzählbar for uncountable sets or quantities; in technical writing unabzählbar is the standard term for uncountable, while unzählbar may appear in more general or literary contexts.

See also: Zählbarkeit, Unendlichkeit. In English, unzählige is commonly translated as innumerable or countless.