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grundsätzlich. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
grundsätzlich, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
grundsätzlich in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
grundsätzlich you have here. The definition of the word
grundsätzlich will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
grundsätzlich, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
German
Etymology
Grundsatz + -lich
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡʁʊntˈzɛtslɪç/, /ˈɡʁʊntˌzɛtslɪç/
- Hyphenation: grund‧sätz‧lich
Adjective
grundsätzlich (strong nominative masculine singular grundsätzlicher, comparative grundsätzlicher, superlative am grundsätzlichsten)
- based on principle
- fundamental, elementary, principial
Declension
Positive forms of grundsätzlich
Comparative forms of grundsätzlich
Superlative forms of grundsätzlich
Derived terms
Adverb
grundsätzlich
- in principle, as a rule (but with exceptions)
- absolutely, categorically (without exception)
Usage notes
- The word is ambiguous, though the sense “in principle” is commoner. To some degree the distinction is one of intonation. For example, the phrase Das tue ich grundsätzlich nicht would be understood as “In principle, I don’t do that” when the words grundsätzlich and nicht are equally stressed, but as “I absolutely never do that” when there is strong stress on grundsätzlich.
Further reading