auffällig

Based on: auffallen
Adjective #573 Adjective
1.

eye-catching, flashy, striking, suspicious(ly)

Opposite: unauffällig
(Works in a wide range of contexts, but it does have a slightly negative tilt)
Examples
  • Maria trägt manchmal gern auffälliges Augen-Make-Up.
  • Maria sometimes likes wearing striking/flashy eye make up.
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Sources for Etymology:

My Articles

Prefix Verbs Explained – “auffallen”

"auffallen" looks like an oxymoron - "to fall up". But it's actually a really useful translation for "to notice". Today, we'll learn why. Also: more verbs :)

Vocab: auffallen, auffällig, die Auffälligkeit, unauffällig

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Questions and Comments

Do you have questions about the usage or meaning of “auffällig”? Just ask here and I’ll try to clear it up.

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xv
xv

So i was just reading and came across this

“Ab 2001 besuchte er das Hannah-Arendt-Gymnasium im Neuköllner Ortsteil Rudow, von dem er 2003 wegen auffälligen Verhaltens verwiesen wurde.”

I was wondering about auffälig here.
Do you think this refers to what would be desribed as “disruptive” behaviour? I.e. Being loud, pranks etc? Because you cant throw someone out of school for “suspicious” behaviour…?
Or is the idea that the the behaviour comes under the scrutiny of the school (and the fact its bad behaviour is implied). Because I was thinking behaviour can stand out when its good too. Or is auffällig generally negative?

Emanuel
Emanuel
Reply to  xv

It’s quite vague, but I think the sense is that he negatively stood out.
Maybe not loud or pranks, could also be getting in fights a lot or bullying classmates.
“verhaltensauffällig” is kind of a euphemism for aggressive behavior as well.

Is “auffällig” generally negative… not really, but then again yes. We seem to primarily use it in negative contexts, because we’re still a super stiff people who needs to loosen up a bit (I’m serious).

But “auffällig gut” doesn’t sound weird or contradictory at all. Just a bare “auffällig” has a vibe of that skeptical smiley emoji.

How many meanings does the German word 'auffällig' have?

auffällig has 1 distinct meaning: 1. eye-catching, flashy, striking, suspicious(ly).

What is 'auffällig' related to?

The word 'auffällig' is related to auffallen.

Where can I learn more about 'auffällig'?

Here are some articles where you can learn more about 'auffällig':

Prefix Verbs Explained – “auffallen”
"auffallen" looks like an oxymoron - "to fall up". But it's actually a really useful translation for "to notice". Today, we'll learn why. Also: more verbs :)
Vocab: auffallen, auffällig, die Auffälligkeit, unauffällig
Read article