schlimm
Translation
bad, serious, severe, awful
Examples
Das ist nicht so schlimm.
That's not so bad.
Er hatte einen schlimmen Unfall.
He had a serious accident.
Was ist das Schlimmste, das passieren kann?
What's the worst that can happen?
Grammar Patterns
((to be)) ((schlimm)) to be bad/serious It's not so bad.
((a schlimm...)) ((noun)) a bad/serious... That was a bad mistake.
Similar Words
Synonyms: schlecht, übel; Antonyms: gut, harmlos
Etymology
From Middle High German 'slimp' meaning 'oblique, crooked', which evolved to mean 'bad'.
Memory Tips
It sounds a bit like 'slim'. Imagine a 'slim' chance of things going well, hence the situation is 'schlimm' (bad).