Instanzielle

Instanzielle is an adjective used in the German language to denote a relation to a specific instance or case rather than to a general rule or universal. It is formed from the noun Instanz (an instance, a particular case, or a procedural level) with a typical attributive suffix, producing phrases such as instanzielle Aussage or instanzielle Begründung. The term does not designate a distinct theory or field; instead it functions as a descriptive modifier across different disciplines.

In philosophy and logic, instanzielle usage can describe statements or arguments that pertain to particular cases, as opposed to universal claims. In law, the term appears in compounds referring to decisions or procedures at a given judicial level, for example instanzielle Entscheidungen to denote decisions within a specific instance of a court proceedings framework. In computer science and software engineering, instanzielle may describe attributes or data that belong to a concrete object instance rather than to a class or type, such as instanzielle Eigenschaften or instanzielle Daten, emphasizing per-object characteristics.

Usage notes and caveats: the precise interpretation of instanzielle depends on context and discipline. Since Instanz as a concept is common across fields, the adjective is mainly a descriptive connector used to stress per-case or per-object aspects rather than to introduce a formal theory. When translating or writing, it is often clearer to substitute more specific terms (for example, per-instance, at the court level, or per-object) if the target audience is not familiar with the prompted nuance.

See also: Instanz, Instanzbezug, Instanzierung.