German edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈzakˌɡasə/
  • (file)

Noun edit

Sackgasse f (genitive Sackgasse, plural Sackgassen)

  1. dead-end street; cul-de-sac
  2. (figuratively) dead end (something that does not lead one to the intended result)
    Der Kommunismus ist eine Sackgasse, weil er das Problem der Armut nicht zu lösen vermag.
    Communism is a dead end, because it is incapable of solving the problem of poverty.
  3. (figuratively) impasse (stagnation that one can only overcome by fundamentally changing one’s approach)
    Die amerikanische Außenpolitik befindet sich in der Sackgasse.
    American foreign policy is in an impasse.
  4. (figuratively, especially) stalemate; deadlock (stagnation that is due to an inability or unwillingness to reach a compromise)
    Die Verhandlungen stecken in einer Sackgasse.
    The negotiations have reached a stalemate.

Declension edit

See also edit

Further reading edit

  • Sackgasse” in Duden online
  • Sackgasse” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache