Kuulsam

Kuulsam is an Estonian adjective that serves as the comparative form of kuulus, meaning famous or well-known. It is used to express a higher degree of fame when comparing two or more subjects. For example, in a sentence like “Ta on kuulsam kui tema eelkäija,” kuulsam indicates that one subject is more famous than the other.

In Estonian, the standard way to form the comparative is to add the suffix -am to the stem of the positive adjective. The corresponding superlative is kõige kuulsam, meaning the most famous. Like other adjectives in Estonian, kuulsam agrees with the noun it modifies in case and number and can appear in attributive position or predicate position.

Usage notes and context: kuulsam is commonly found in discussions of public figures, media, culture, and historical or contemporary prominence. It is a neutral descriptive term rather than a qualitative judgment, and it is suitable for formal or informal writing. The word can be intensified with additional modifiers, for example palju kuulsam (much more famous) or veel kuulsam (even more famous).

Etymology and related forms: kuulsam derives from kuulus, which conveys the sense of being widely known. The construction follows common Estonian adjective inflection patterns, so kuulsam patterns with other comparative adjectives in similar syntactic environments.

In summary, kuulsam is the standard Estonian comparative form of kuulus, used to compare fame between entities and to form the phrase kõige kuulsam for the ultimate degree of notability.