neblahý

Neblahé is a Czech adjective meaning unfavorable, ill-omened, or ominous. It is used to describe events, outcomes, signs, or periods that are judged to bring harm or bad fortune. In modern usage it often appears in formal, literary, or journalistic contexts and typically modifies nouns referring to consequences, forecasts, or states rather than to people.

The word is formed with the negating prefix ne- attached to the older Czech adjective blahý, which carried a sense of good or auspicious. In contemporary use, neblahý survives mainly in fixed phrases and in more elevated or literary styles. The form neblahé occurs in front of feminine singular and certain neuter or plural nouns, with the adjective agreeing with the noun in gender and number.

Common phrases include neblahé důsledky (ill consequences), neblahé období (unfavorable period), neblahé znamení (ominous sign), and neblahá předpověď (an ill-omened forecast). In prose, neblahé can set a somber or foreboding tone, signaling that what follows is adverse or disquieting. It is generally more formal or literary than everyday alternatives such as nepříznivý or nevýhodný, and it can carry a sense of fate or omen rather than mere practical disadvantage.

Etymologically, neblahé belongs to a family of words built on the root blah-, related to notions of fortune or goodness in historical Czech, with ne- serving as a negating prefix. Today, neblahé is primarily a stylistic choice in writing and speech, used when a speaker or author wants to emphasize the ominous quality of a situation without resorting to harsher moral judgments. See also blahý, neblahý (as a contrasting form).