Wörtlicher

Wörtlicher is the inflected form of the German adjective wörtlich, meaning literal or word-for-word. The term is used to describe wording that follows the exact words spoken or written, as opposed to figurative or paraphrased language. In practice, wörtlich functions as an ordinary adjective and appears in various declined forms depending on case, gender, and determiner.

Grammatical use and forms. As the comparative form, wörtlicher means “more literal” and can modify a masculine singular noun, often in a sentence like Der Satz ist wörtlicher als jener. In attributive position with determiners, the form changes to wörtliche (e.g., der wörtliche Sinn, die wörtliche Rede). With indefinites or possessives, forms such as ein wörtlicher Sinn or mein wörtlicher Sinn occur. In the phrase im wörtlichen Sinn, the adjective takes the appropriate declension for a masculine noun in the dative position. The singular genitive usually yields des wörtlichen Sinns.

Usage and nuance. Wörtlich is common in linguistics, translation studies, journalism, and literary analysis to distinguish exact wording from paraphrase or figurative meaning. Phrases like wörtlich genommen and im wörtlichen Sinn emphasize direct, unaltered wording. The term is often contrasted with wortgetreu or im Wortlaut, which highlight fidelity to the original wording in slightly different shades.

Related terms. Wörtlich is the base form; wörtliche Rede refers to direct quotation; Wortlaut denotes the exact wording; wortgetreu means true to the original sense. Together, these terms help describe how language aligns with or departs from original wording.