Skip to content

entgegen

contrary to

preposition ent-GEH-gen Rare
Grammar & Structure Prepositions

Also means

against

Usage Note

entgegen is a dative preposition, 'contrary to, against', e.g. entgegen den Erwartungen. It can precede or follow its noun and signals that reality runs against an expectation or rule. As a verb prefix it also conveys motion towards.

Examples

"Entgegen allen Erwartungen gewann die kleine Mannschaft."

Natural Translation

Contrary to all expectations, the small team won.

Literal Translation

Contrary-to all expectations won the small team.

Explore German by topic