hinterlistig

deceitful, cunning

adjective HIN-ter-lis-tikh Rare

Also means

treacherous, sneaky

Usage Note

Hinterlistig describes someone who acts in a covert, manipulative way; stronger than listig (simply clever) and implies bad intent. Often paired with tückisch in literary contexts.

Examples

"Der hinterlistige Plan wurde schnell durchschaut."

Natural Translation

The devious plan was quickly seen through.

Literal Translation

The treacherous plan was quickly seen through.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Compound Words: How to Read Any Long Word

Read any long German word by working right-to-left: the last noun sets the meaning and gender, and the small linking letters are just glue. Here's the drill.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Tipping in Germany: A Visitor's Etiquette Guide

Tipping in Germany means saying your total out loud, not leaving coins. Learn the exact phrases, how much to tip, and the Sie-vs-du etiquette travelers need.

June 5, 2026 6 min read