Schriftlicher

Schriftlicher is a German adjective that denotes that something is written or in written form. It represents the comparative degree of schriftlich, used to express that one thing is more written or more characteristic of writing than another. The word is formed from Schrift (writing) plus the adjectival suffix -lich, with the comparative ending -er yielding schriftlicher in many syntactic contexts. The related superlative is schriftlichste (or schriftlichsten, depending on case and gender).

Usage and grammar refer to standard German adjective declension. The form Schriftlicher changes with gender, number and case, and with the determiner that accompanies the noun. For example, with a definite article in the masculine nominative singular one commonly encounters der schriftliche Bericht for the positive degree, while the comparative is der schriftlichere Bericht. Feminine and neuter forms follow similar patterns (die schriftliche Prüfung, das schriftliche Dokument), and plurals take the corresponding comparative endings in die Berichte, die schriftlichere Berichte or die schriftlicheren Berichte depending on case. In predicative position, one may hear Der Bericht ist schriftlicher geworden, indicating a shift toward more written character.

Common contexts for schriftlicher include academic, bureaucratic and legal language, where distinctions between written and oral forms are important. It often contrasts with mündlich, which denotes oral or spoken form. While schriftlich is the general term for written, schriftlicher emphasizes a greater degree of being in writing in comparison with another item.

See also: schriftlich, Schrift, Schriftform.