Auffälligem

Auffälligem is the dative singular form of the German adjective auffällig, meaning conspicuous or noticeable. In German, adjectives are declined to reflect case, gender, number, and the determiner that accompanies them. The form auffälligem appears in dative singular for masculine or neuter nouns when the adjective carries strong declension (that is, with no definite article), and after prepositions that govern the dative, for example mit auffälligem Muster or in auffälligem Verhalten.

By contrast, after a definite article the same adjective takes the weak ending, as in dem auffälligen Mann. With an indefinite article, the mixed endings may produce beispielsweise einem auffälligen Muster. The form auffälligem thus signals the dative case and the lack of a definite determiner, with the ending -em typical of masculine and neuter dative singular in strong declension.

Usage notes: Auffällig describes objects, behavior, or appearance that attracts attention. Common collocations include auffälliges Muster (conspicuous pattern), auffälliges Verhalten (conspicuous behavior), and auffällige Kleidung (noticeable clothing). In predicative position, the adjective agrees with the subject in case and number just like any other adjective.

Nominal use: the adjective can be substantivized as das Auffällige, referring to the conspicuous element itself rather than to a generic description.

Etymology: auffällig derives from auffallen, meaning to stand out or attract attention; the suffix -ig forms an adjective meaning “notable” or “conspicuous.”