Dreck
What does “Dreck” mean in English?
It's a dismissive term for something worthless or rubbish. While it literally means 'dirt', that's not how it's used here.
Literally “dirt”
You might use it like calling something 'shit' in English. It's informal and often used to express disdain.
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Related German words
Drecksack
3/5 · VulgarIt's an insult for someone who's nasty or dishonest. Literally, it translates to 'dirt bag.'
Drecksau
3/5 · VulgarIt's a coarse insult aimed at someone considered filthy or contemptible. Literally, it translates to 'dirty sow.'
Drecksbalg
3/5 · VulgarIt's a coarse insult used to refer to a troublesome child, implying they're dirty or unruly. The literal translation is 'dirty brat.'
Dreckskerl
3/5 · VulgarIt's an insult aimed at a nasty man or scoundrel. The literal translation is 'dirty fellow.'
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via 4troDev/profanity.csv (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.