I didn't realize "dad" was a German word
this post was submitted on 14 May 2025
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Oh, Fuhrer...
Fun fact, the similarity of "father" in different European languages led to Aryan theory. They were originally considered a common culture that all European descended from.
The word you are looking for is probably "Niemandsvorbild," which means "nobody's role model".
It is a made-up word that is apparently sometimes attributed to Kurt Vonnegut, but it probably wasn't coined by him. It doesn't actually exist in the German language, but it is still easy to understand.
More common would be "Negativ-Vorbild" ("negativ role model") or "Antiheld" ("antihero"), although the latter describes a likable but imperfect protagonist in a work of fiction.
Can confirm its an understandable word. Not german (but dutch) and i understood it
Yup, I understood it as well and I'm Swedish.
Not sure what the word is, but this could be in Mother Night, based on the subject matter.
Gegenbild?
gemma3:27b suggests "Abschreckungsbeispiel".
** User: What does "Abschreckungsbeispiel" mean in English?
** Ellama: "Abschreckungsbeispiel" translates to deterrent example or cautionary example in English.
It refers to someone or something that serves as a warning to others, discouraging them from following the same path or making the same mistakes. The idea is that seeing the negative consequences experienced by this person will deter (discourage) others from doing the same thing.
Think of it like a "look what happens if..." example.
For instance:
"Er ist ein abschreckendes Beispiel für Workaholismus." - "He is a deterrent example of workaholism." (Seeing his burnout and ruined relationships discourages others from working too much.)
"Die hohe Kriminalitätsrate in dieser Gegend ist ein abschreckendes Beispiel für soziale Ungleichheit." - "The high crime rate in this area is a cautionary example of social inequality."
It's a strong term, implying a clear and negative consequence that should be avoided.
I don't see any references online to Vonnegut referencing it, though. Online, it appears to normally be hyphenated as "Abschreckungs-Beispiel" or written with a space between the two components, but I don't know enough German to know the significance of the hyphen or space or single word. I imagine that a fluent German speaker would know, though. It seems to be translated as "cautionary example", "warning example", or "deterrence example" online.
I'm a native German speaker but never heard 'Abschreckungsbeispiel'. But 'abschreckendes Beispiel' is quite common.
There is a (mean) saying: -Niemand ist unnütz, er kann immer noch als abschreckendes Beispiel dienen ' - No one is useless, they can still be a bad example.
Gemma is wrong. Or at least I have never heard it as one combined word. As the examples themselves show, it is normally used as adjective+noun. And while you can combine it, I have never seen that till now.
And to OPs question: I don't know any such word in the German language. It might be a regional thing or it might just be something Vonnegut invented himself.