grundsätzlich
German, adjective/ɡʁʊntˈzɛtslɪç/
grundsätzlich is spelled G-R-U-N-D-S-Ä-T-Z-L-I-C-H (13 letters) and appears 59 times per million words in written German, the 1,461st most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Grundsätzlich is a German adjective meaning “based on principle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “die Grundsätze beziehungsweise die feste Meinung einer Person oder Organisation betreffend und daher wichtig”.
What does grundsätzlich mean in English?
adjective
- 1
based on principle
- 2
fundamental, elementary, principial
adverb
- 1
in principle, generally, as a rule (but with exceptions)
- 2
absolutely, categorically (without exception)
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. die Grundsätze beziehungsweise die feste Meinung einer Person oder Organisation betreffend und daher wichtig 2. einem Grundsatz folgend, aber in Nebensätzen ad exceptio Ausnahmen zulassend 3. einem Grundsatz folgend, aber bestimmte Ausnahmen zulassend
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 grundsätzlich
- grundsätzlicher masculine nominative singular
- am grundsätzlichsten superlative
- grundsätzliche feminine nominative singular
- grundsätzliches neuter nominative singular
- grundsätzlichen genitive masculine singular
- grundsätzlichem dative masculine singular
- der grundsätzliche definite includes-article masculine
- die grundsätzliche definite feminine includes-article
- das grundsätzliche definite includes-article neuter
- die grundsätzlichen definite includes-article nominative
- des grundsätzlichen definite genitive includes-article
- der grundsätzlichen definite feminine genitive
- dem grundsätzlichen dative definite includes-article
- grds. abbreviation
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce grundsätzlich?
- /ɡʁʊntˈzɛtslɪç/
- /ˈɡʁʊntˌzɛtslɪç/
- [ˈɡʁʊntˌz̥ɛt͡slɪç]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to grundsätzlich
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is grundsätzlich in German?
grundsätzlich appears 59 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).