kleinlaut

sheepish

adjective KLINE-lowt Less Common

Also means

subdued

Usage Note

kleinlaut describes someone gone meek and subdued after being put in their place, literally 'small-voiced'. One gibt kleinlaut zu (sheepishly admits) a mistake.

Examples

"Kleinlaut gab er seinen Fehler zu."

Natural Translation

Sheepishly he admitted his mistake.

Literal Translation

Sheepish gave he his mistake to.

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