Dunkleren

Dunkleren is not a standalone word in German, but the inflected attributive form of the adjective dunkel meaning dark. It functions as the plural form with a definite determiner, conveying the sense “the darker” or “more dark” in contexts where the noun is known or specified.

In German grammar, adjectives when used attributively with definite articles or other determiners take specific endings. In the plural, the determiner triggers the ending -en on the adjective. Therefore, you commonly see dunkel- taking the form dunkleren in phrases such as die dunkleren Farben (the darker colors) or der dunkleren Farben (the darker colors, genitive). The same form appears in genitive plural: der dunkleren Farben, and in dative plural after a preposition: in dunkleren Zeiten (in darker times), den dunkleren Farben (to the darker colors).

The use of dunkleren marks a comparison within a known category, indicating that the referenced nouns have greater darkness relative to another set. It does not introduce a new lexical item; rather, it is the grammatical inflection of the adjective in plural contexts where definiteness is present.

Common examples illustrate its range: Die dunkleren Farben wirken intensiver im Licht. In dunkleren Zeiten gab es weniger elektrische Beleuchtung. Die Farbpalette reicht von hell bis dunkleren Tönen. These constructions show how dunkleren is employed across nominative/accusative, genitive, and dative cases when the determiner is present.

See also: German grammar, Adjective endings, Comparative adjectives.