dhlil ذليل
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“dhlil” (ذليل) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning humiliated, debased.
Meanings
- humiliated, debased
- servile, without dignity
Usage
Dhlil describes a person who is humiliated, reduced to powerlessness, or who agrees to lower themselves before others. The word is strong and pejorative. It is heard in arguments and in sports commentary, for example about a team piling up defeats. It is also used as a moral reproach: 3lech t3ich dhlil? means "why do you live in humiliation?". The opposite is 3aziz (dignified, honoured). The feminine is dhlila. It is not a vulgar word, but when addressed directly to someone, it remains hurtful.
Example
ما نحبش نعيش ذليل قدام حد.
ma n7ebech n3ich dhlil 9oddem 7ad.
“I don't want to live humiliated before anyone.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhlil” but also “dlil” and “zlil”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.