Whether it’s a handshake, a work of art, or someone’s strange hat—if it leaves a mark on your mind, Germans call it an Eindruck. It’s the word for impressions that stick with you—first, lasting, strong, or even misleading.

The noun Eindruck means impression, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll hear it in social conversation, job interviews, and literary analysis alike.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Eindruck.

Pronunciation

Eindruck is pronounced [INE-drook].

• The “Ein” sounds like “mine,”
• The “druck” rhymes with “book,” but with a hard “k” at the end.
• The stress is on the first syllable: EIN-druck.

It feels like what it means—something sudden, definite, and imprinted.

Example sentences:

• Mein erster Eindruck von ihm war sehr positiv.
  My first impression of him was very positive.
• Die Ausstellung hat einen tiefen Eindruck hinterlassen.
  The exhibition left a deep impression.

Nuance and usage tips

Eindruck is used for both subjective feelings and objective influence—mental imprints, emotional responses, or intuitive judgments.

Common collocations include:

• einen Eindruck machen – to make an impression
• einen guten / schlechten Eindruck hinterlassen – to leave a good / bad impression
• unter dem Eindruck stehen – to be under the influence (of something emotionally or mentally)
• der Eindruck entsteht, dass... – it gives the impression that...

Its antonym, depending on context, might be:

• keinen Eindruck machen – to leave no impression
• Täuschung (feminine, die Täuschung) – deception, if the impression was false

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Der Eindruck war überwältigend.
  The impression was overwhelming.
• Accusative: Ich hatte einen ganz anderen Eindruck.
  I had a completely different impression.
• Dative: Mit dem Eindruck ging ich nach Hause.
  I went home with that impression.
• Genitive: Wegen des Eindrucks änderte sie ihre Meinung.
  Because of the impression, she changed her mind.

Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• beeindrucken – to impress
• beeindruckend – impressive
• Erster Eindruck – first impression
• bleibender Eindruck – lasting impression
• Eindrucksvoll – impactful, impressive
• Druck – pressure or print (shares the same root)

Fun etymological note:
Eindruck is literally “in-pressure”—from ein- (in) and Druck (pressure, print). So it originally meant something pressed into you, like a stamp or a footprint—making it a vivid image for a lasting mental mark.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Eindruck

🎥 Learn Eindruck and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Alternate translations note:
For print impressions (like printing plates or editions), Abdruck or Auflage might be used. But for psychological, emotional, or social impressions—whether someone left one or made one—Eindruck is the perfect word.

Ready for two more German words of the day? Do you know how to say invitation or Germany in German?