Erfolgreicher

Erfolgreicher is the comparative form of the German adjective erfolgreich, meaning more successful. It is used to express a higher degree of success when comparing two or more subjects. The base positive form is erfolgreich; the comparative is typically formed by adding the appropriate ending, yielding forms such as erfolgreichere in attributive position and erfolgreicher in predicative or non-attributive use. The equivalent English translation is “more successful.”

Usage and grammar notes

In practice, erfolgreich is used across many domains—business, sports, politics, culture—to compare performance, outcomes, or achievements. When used in a sentence with als to make a comparison, the structure is straightforward: Dieser Plan ist erfolgreicher als jener. In attributive position after a definite article, the adjective receives the typical weak endings: der erfolgreiche Plan (positive), der erfolgreichere Plan (comparative), die erfolgreichsten Pläne (superlative plural). The superlative can also appear as der am erfolgreichsten laufende Plan in certain contexts, or with the predicative form am erfolgreichsten to say something is “the most successful.”

Noun usage

Erfolgreicher can also appear as a noun when capitalized as Erfolgreicher or Erfolgreiche in compounds or noun phrases, though more common is the noun Der Erfolgreiche, meaning “the successful person.” In everyday use, however, the noun form is less frequent than the adjectival form.

Related forms and etymology

Erfolgreicher derives from Erfolg (success), via the German adjective-forming process. It shares its semantic field with synonyms such as ertragreicher or profitabler, depending on context. The term remains a standard, neutral descriptor in German-language discourse.