Kleinerer

Kleinerer is a morphologically inflected form of the German adjective klein, used as the comparative meaning “smaller.” It occurs most often before a masculine singular noun when the noun is not preceded by a definite article, for example in the phrase ein kleinerer Hund, meaning “a smaller dog.” The form signals a comparison between two or more items.

In German grammar, the exact ending of an attributive adjective changes with case, gender, and determiner. The masculine singular comparative form kleinER (written kleinER) corresponds to an unstated or indefinite determiner, while with a definite article the adjective typically takes the ending -e, as in der kleinere Bruder. This means that kleinerer appears in contexts such as ein kleinerer Mann or in more extended constructions where the determiner does not supply a definite gender/number marking.

Kleinerer can also function in open, descriptive contexts where a comparison is implied without a further noun, though in everyday usage speakers often opt for the more common unsigned form kleiner or the noun phrase with the article that produces a different ending, such as der kleinere Mann or ein kleiner Mann.

Aside from its grammatical use, kleinerer may appear as a rare surname in German-speaking regions, though it is not widely attested as a prominent family name. As a word, it is primarily a grammatical form rather than a standalone lexical entry with a separate meaning.

See also: klein, kleiner, Kleiner, German adjectives, comparative forms in German.