Vermehrt

Vermehrt is a German term that functions as an adverb and as the past participle of the verb vermehren. It denotes an increase in number or frequency, rather than mere growth in size. In everyday and formal language, vermehrt describes situations where occurrences become more common or quantities rise compared with a prior period.

As an adjective, vermehrt can also modify nouns, especially in the attributive and predicative positions. For example, vermehrte Nachfrage means “increased demand,” and vermehrter Verkehr means “increased traffic.” The related noun is Vermehrung, which refers to the process of multiplication or reproduction, particularly in biology or demography.

Usage and contexts: vermehrt is common in statistics, epidemiology, economics, and journalism to signal a noticeable uptick. It suggests a change relative to a previous baseline rather than a simple amount of growth. In science writing, you may encounter phrases like vermehrt aufgetreten oder vermehrt gemeldet, meaning that instances have occurred more frequently or have been reported more often.

Distinction: vermehrt should not be confused with synonyms like häufiger or zunehmend, though they convey related ideas. Vermehrt emphasizes the aspect of numbers or frequency increasing, whereas häufiger or zunehmend can be more general or gradual in scope.

Related terms include vermehrung (the process of multiplication) and mehren (to increase); prefixes with ver- often imply a change of state or an amplification.