Fraglichen

Fraglichen is the inflected form of the German adjective fraglich, meaning questionable or uncertain. It does not stand alone as a lexical entry; rather, fraglichen appears when the adjective modifies a noun and takes an appropriate ending according to case, gender, and number. The form is common in formal or analytic writing, where nuance and precision about doubt or disputability are needed.

Etymology and meaning: fraglich derives from the noun Frage (question) with the adjectival suffix -lich, yielding a sense of “in question” or “worthy of question.” The component frag- reflects the notion of questioning, while -lich marks it as an adjective.

Grammatical use: fraglichen occurs across several inflection contexts. For example:

- Die fraglichen Beweise (the questionable proofs) — plural, nominative with a definite article.

- Die fraglichen Umstände (the questionable circumstances) — plural, nominative with a definite article.

- Unter den fraglichen Umständen (under the questionable circumstances) — plural, dative with a definite article.

- Der fraglichen Frage (of the questionable question) — feminine singular, genitive with a definite article.

- Die fraglichen Fragen (the questionable questions) — plural, nominative with a definite article.

Semantic nuance: fraglich signals doubt or unsettledness about a fact, conclusion, or situation. It is typically used when something is being evaluated or debated, and it often appears in scholarly, scientific, or journalism contexts. It is somewhat less strong than terms like zweifelhaft (doubtful) or umstritten (controversial), conveying a cautious assessment rather than a definitive judgment.

See also: Fraglichkeit (the noun form meaning the quality of being questionable), Frage (question), Fragestellung (line of inquiry).