Preposition

entgegen

Based on: ent-, gegen
1.

toward

(This is used as an adverb or prefix, and comes AFTER the location, for example: "der Sonne (Dative) entgegen")
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Examples
  • Ich gehe der Sonne entgegen.
  • I walk toward the sun.
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2.

contrary to

("entgegen+Dative" - sounds pretty formal and you don't hear it much in daily life)
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Examples
  • Entgegen meiner Vorstellung war die Suppe lecker.
  • Contrary to my expectation, the soup was good.
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Word Family

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Sources for Etymology:

My Articles

German Prepositions Explained – “gegen”

A fun look at the meaning of "gegen" and why its many useful related words sometimes seem to have contradictory meanings.

Vocab: gegen, entgegen, dagegen, gegenseitig, der Gegner, begegnen, der Gegenstand, gegenüber, die Gegend, entgegnen

Read article →

German Prefixes Explained – “ent-“

We'll take a good look at the prefix "ent-" and see how its core theme gets modified and twisted by the various ent-verbs.

Read article →

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

entgegen has 2 distinct meanings: 1. toward , 2. contrary to .

What is 'entgegen' related to?

The word 'entgegen' is related to ent- and gegen.

Where can I learn more about 'entgegen'?

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

German Prepositions Explained – “gegen”
A fun look at the meaning of "gegen" and why its many useful related words sometimes seem to have contradictory meanings.
Vocab: gegen, entgegen, dagegen, gegenseitig, der Gegner, begegnen, der Gegenstand, gegenüber, die Gegend, entgegnen
Read article

German Prefixes Explained – “ent-“
We'll take a good look at the prefix "ent-" and see how its core theme gets modified and twisted by the various ent-verbs.
Read article