Tiefergehend

Tiefergehend is a German adjective meaning more in-depth or more thoroughly explored. It is formed from tiefer (deeper) and gehend (going), and derives from the verb tiefergehen (to go deeper). The term is used to describe analyses, explanations, discussions or investigations that go beyond a surface-level treatment.

Tiefergehend is commonly employed in academic, professional, and journalistic contexts to indicate a more detailed or comprehensive approach. It is often paired with nouns such as Analyse, Untersuchung, Einordnung, or Debatte. The word can be used attributively, as in eine tiefergehende Analyse, or predicatively, as in Die Untersuchung ist tiefergehend. It is typically contrasted with oberflächlich, which denotes superficial treatment.

Usage notes: tiefergehend is somewhat formal and characteristic of written language, though it can appear in formal spoken discourse as well. It is usually inflected to match the gender, case, and number of the noun it modifies, for example: eine tiefergehende Studie, tiefergehende Gründe, tiefergehende Diskussion.

Related terms include tiefgründig, gründlich, and ausführlich, which convey related nuances of depth and thoroughness. Tiefgründig emphasizes fundamental depth or profound insight, während ausführlich and gründlich focus more on completeness and meticulousness. Examples illustrate a progression from surface to deeper treatment: oberflächlich, tiefergehend, and finally tiefgründig in its particular sense of depth.