nüchtern

sober, matter-of-fact

adjective NUEKH-tern Rare

Also means

sober (not drunk); level-headed

Usage Note

Nüchtern means both literally sober (not intoxicated, or having an empty stomach: nüchtern zum Arzt) and figuratively cool-headed and realistic. A nüchterne Analyse is an unsentimental, rational assessment. Context always disambiguates.

Examples

"Ihre nüchterne Einschätzung half dem Team, realistische Ziele zu setzen."

Natural Translation

Her sober assessment helped the team to set realistic goals.

Literal Translation

Her matter-of-fact assessment helped the team realistic goals to set.

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