ärgerlicher

ärgerlicher is the comparative form of the German adjective ärgerlich, meaning more annoying, more troublesome, or more aggravating. It is used to compare degrees of annoyances or difficulties between two or more things. The form can appear attributively before a noun or predicatively in a comparison clause.

In usage, the word follows standard German adjective inflection rules for gender, number, and case. For example: ein ärgerlicher Fehler (a more annoying mistake), eine ärgerlichere Situation (a more annoying situation), zwei ärgerlichere Verzögerungen (two more annoying delays). In a sentence, one might say: Dieser Fehler ist ärgerlicher als jener.

Etymology traces ärgerlich to the verb ärgern (to annoy) with the suffix -lich, yielding the sense of something that causes annoyance. The comparative ending -er is consistent with German grammar, and the full form changes with the noun it modifies.

Notes and related terms: In everyday language, ärgerlich is more commonly used without comparing, as in Der Fehler ist ärgerlich. The adverb ärgerlicherweise exists in German and means “unfortunately,” but it is not the same word as the comparative ärgerlicher. The term is primarily found in written and formal contexts, especially when making explicit comparisons of nuisance or annoyance.

See also: ärgerlich, Komparativ (German adjectives), German adjective declension.