Besserer

Besserer is the comparative form of the German adjective gut, used to indicate that something or someone is of higher quality or degree than another. In everyday language it appears in two main functions: as an attributive adjective before a noun or as part of a predicate with a noun implied or omitted.

When used attributively, besserer inflects according to gender, number, and case. For example: ein besserer Mann (nominative masculine singular), eine bessere Frau (nominative feminine singular), ein besseres Kind (nominative neuter singular), die besseren Männer (nominative plural). After definite articles, the form changes to der bessere Mann, die bessere Frau, das bessere Kind, die besseren Männer. The form besserer is therefore the base for many common constructions, including possessive and other cases: eines besseren Weges, besseren Zeiten, etc.

Predicative use differs slightly: in clauses like Er ist besser, simply saying “he is better,” the adjective remains in its base comparative, often without a separate noun. In contexts where the noun is explicit, the comparative form wird typically appears as besserer, while ohne Nomen it is often contracted to besser.

Nominalized usage exists as well: Bessere (capitalized) can function as a noun meaning “the better one” or “the better people,” as in Die Besseren haben gewonnen. This nominal use is common in comparisons or rhetorical phrasing and accepts plural forms wie die Besseren.

Besserer also appears as a surname in German-speaking regions, where it is capitalized as a proper noun. It is not a separate lexeme beyond the inflected form of gut in standard usage, and in English-language texts it is typically left in its inflected German form when cited.