eitel
German, adjective/ˈaɪ̯təl/
eitel is spelled E-I-T-E-L (5 letters) and appears 2.0 times per million words in written German, the 23,884th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Eitel is a German adjective meaning “vain (overly proud of oneself, especially one’s outer appearance)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “voller Selbstverliebtheit, sich selbst bewundernd”.
What does eitel mean in English?
adjective
- 1
vain (overly proud of oneself, especially one’s outer appearance)
Er ist so eitel, dass er kaum mal zwanzig Minuten nicht in den Spiegel gucken kann.
- 2
vain; void; futile (having no value or effect)
Der weltliche Genuss ist eitel und vergänglich.
- 3
datedgenuine; pure
Der Ring ist aus eitel Gold.
- 4
datedonly; nothing but
- 5
empty
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. voller Selbstverliebtheit, sich selbst bewundernd 2. ohne Aussicht auf Erfolg; sinnlos und falsch 3. (ganz) rein
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of eitel
- eitler masculine nominative singular
- eiteler masculine nominative singular
- am eitelsten superlative
- eitle feminine nominative singular
- eitele feminine nominative singular
- eitles neuter nominative singular
- eiteles neuter nominative singular
- eitlen genitive masculine singular
- eitelen genitive masculine singular
- eitlem dative masculine singular
- eitelem dative masculine singular
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce eitel?
- /ˈaɪ̯təl/
- [ˈʔaɪ̯.tʰəl]
- [ˈʔaɪ̯.tʰl̩]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to eitel
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is eitel in German?
eitel appears 2.0 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).