töricht

Töricht is a German adjective meaning foolish, unwise, or imprudent. It is used to describe actions, decisions, or lines of thinking that lack prudence or sound judgment. The term often carries a moral judgment and can imply that the conduct was reckless or ill-considered. In everyday speech it is somewhat formal or literary, with more common alternatives being dumm or unvernünftig.

Etymology and history: the word traces back to older German forms related to the notion of a fool. It is built from a base meaning fool plus a suffix that forms adjectives, and has appeared in German from the medieval period. Today it remains a standard, though not highly frequent, descriptor in written German and occasionally in formal speech.

Usage and nuance: töricht commonly appears before a noun or in predicative constructions. Examples include törichte Entscheidung (a foolish decision), törichtes Verhalten (foolish behavior), or Es war töricht (That was foolish). The adjective agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case, with endings such as törichte, törichtes, or töricht depending on the article and noun. Phrases like äußert töricht or viel zu töricht intensify the judgment.

Synonyms and contrasts: while dumm emphasizes lack of intelligence, unvernünftig stresses imprudence, and leichtsinnig stresses recklessness. Töricht often conveys a moral or prudent-judgment nuance beyond mere ignorance, marking a behavior as wrongly chosen or misguided.

See also: Törichtheit, the abstract noun form for foolishness, though it is rarely used in ordinary language. English equivalents include foolish or unwise.