Najkrótszy

Najkrótszy is the Polish adjective that expresses the superlative degree of krótkki (short). It denotes the smallest length, duration, or extent within a defined set or comparison. The term is commonly used to describe the extremal element in a group, such as the shortest distance, the shortest time, or the shortest route.

Grammatical notes: najkrótszy is inflected to agree with the noun it modifies in gender and number. Typical forms include najkrótszy (masculine singular), najkrótsza (feminine singular), and najkrótsze (neuter singular or plural forms, depending on case and gender). In plural, masculine personal forms can appear as najkrótsi, while other plural forms align with the neuter or feminine patterns. The word is formed with the prefix naj- added to the comparative stem krótszy from krótkki, producing the ordinary superlative used in description and comparison.

Usage: najkrótszy is used in contexts requiring a definite ranking of alternatives by length or duration. It is common in formal or descriptive writing, but also appears in everyday speech when a precise, minimal measure is intended. It often appears with nouns like odcinek (section), czas (time), trasa (route), or sposób (way).

Related terms include krótkki (short), krótszy (shorter), and najdłuższy (longest). The concept spans domains such as geometry (najkrótsza droga), travel, and time planning, where explicit minimization of a dimension is relevant. Examples: To był najkrótszy możliwy czas, by to zrobić. Najkrótsza droga do jeziora prowadzi przez las.