Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
gönnen. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
gönnen, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
gönnen in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
gönnen you have here. The definition of the word
gönnen will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
gönnen, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
German
Etymology
From Middle High German gunnen, from Old High German giunnan, from unnan, from Proto-West Germanic *unnan. Compare Dutch gunnen, Yiddish פֿאַרגינען (farginen).
Pronunciation
Verb
gönnen (weak, third-person singular present gönnt, past tense gönnte, past participle gegönnt, auxiliary haben)
- (ditransitive) to bestow, to indulge (someone's wishes), to treat to, to spoil
Ich würde meinen Kindern gerne einen speziellen Leckerbissen gönnen.- I'd like to give my children a special treat.
- (ditransitive) to be happy for someone because of their good fortune
Sie hatten so viel Pech im Leben; ich gönne ihnen den Lottogewinn.- They've had so much bad luck in life; I don't begrudge them the lottery win.
Usage notes
- Often used ironically or tongue-in-cheek, meaning that what is given has little value considering the reluctance with which it is given.
Er liebte sie von ganzem Herzen, wofür sie ihm gelegentlich ein Nicken gönnte.- He loved her dearly, for which she bestowed upon him an occasional nod.
- This leads to a number of colloquial expressions which are, allowing for hyperbole, self-explanatory. For example:
- jemandem das Schwarze unter den Nägeln nicht gönnen ― to not grant the dirt under someone's fingernails.
- However, the full nuances are difficult to express in a simple term and can be used in innocent sincerity.
Conjugation
Conjugation of
gönnen (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of
gönnen (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
Derived terms
Derived terms
Further reading
- “gönnen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “gönnen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “gönnen” in Duden online
- “gönnen” in OpenThesaurus.de