Hervorstechend

Hervorstechend is a German adjective describing something that stands out from its surroundings because of quality, prominence, or conspicuousness. It is used to characterize people, objects, performances, or features that are notably superior or distinctive. The term often carries a positive or evaluative nuance, especially in analytical, academic, or professional writing.

Etymology: Hervorstechend is formed from the verb hervorstechen, with hervor- meaning outward or forth and stechen meaning to stab or protrude. The present participle ending -end yields an adjective that can describe nouns, for example eine hervorstechende Eigenschaft or eine hervorstechende Leistung.

Usage: The adjective is typically used attributively, as in eine hervorstechende Eigenschaft or eine hervorstechende Leistung. It can also appear predicatively: Die Ergebnisse waren hervorstechend. In practice it appears in Fachtexte, Berichte, Rezensionen und Beschreibungen in Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Kultur.

Nuance and synonyms: Synonyms include markant, auffällig, herausragend and außergewöhnlich, each carrying slightly different shades. Hervorstechend emphasizes that something stands out within a context or comparison. Auffällig is more neutral-to-negative in some contexts, while herausragend stresses exceptional quality. Kontext and tone influence whether hervorstehend is read as laudatory or merely descriptive.

Verwandte Begriffe: hervorstechen (verb), herausstechen (synonymic variant in some uses), auffällig, markant, herausragend.

---