Gültiger

Gültiger is the comparative form of the German adjective gültig, meaning valid, in effect, or legally binding. It is used to express that something has a higher degree of validity relative to another item or to describe something that is currently valid.

In everyday language gültiger appears as an attributive adjective describing nouns such as documents, contracts, or rules: der gültige Reisepass, ein gültiger Vertrag, die gültigen Unterlagen. Predicatively, one can say der Pass ist gültig (the passport is valid). The comparative form is typically used with a comparison: Dieser Vertrag ist gültiger als jener. The superlative form is der gültigste Vertrag (the most valid contract).

Declension follows standard German adjective endings. With a definite article: der gültige Vertrag (masc, nom), die gültige Regel (fem, nom), das gültige Dokument (neut, nom), die gültigen Dokumente (pl, nom/acc). With an indefinite article: ein gültiger Vertrag, eine gültige Regel, ein gültiges Dokument. Without an article, strong endings apply: gültiger Vertrag, gültige Regeln, gültige Dokumente.

Related terms include Gültigkeit (validity), Gültigkeitsdauer (validity period), Gültigkeitsdatum (expiry date), and Ungültig (invalid). The term is common in legal, administrative, and formal contexts to indicate that a certificate, license, contract, or document remains legally effective or acceptable.

Etymology notes: gültig derives from the Germanic origin of the adjective gültig, with related forms in many Germanic languages, and is tied to concepts of admissibility and enforceability in law and administration.