Wichtigem

Wichtigem is a declined form of the German adjective wichtig, meaning important or significant. It is used in the dative case for masculine or neuter singular nouns when the adjective carries the strong declension (i.e., there is no determiner such as ein, der, das). In practice, you will often see it in prepositional phrases such as mit wichtigem Hinweis (with an important hint) or in important abstract phrases such as in wichtigem Maße (to a significant extent). When a determiner is present, other endings appear (for example, dem wichtigen Mann with a definite article uses a different ending).

Declension context and forms

In the strong declension, the dative singular masculine or neuter ending is -em, producing forms like wichtigem. This contrasts with other cases or with determinate determiner contexts, where the adjective takes other endings (for example, dem wichtigen Mann vs. einem wichtigen Mann, depending on the determiner). Thus, wichtigem is specifically the dative singular form used without a determiner or in other constructions that require the same strong ending. Typical examples include: mit wichtigem Hinweis, in wichtigem Maße, in wichtigem Zusammenhang.

Etymology and relation to related forms

The adjective wichtig derives from the noun Wichtung/Wichtigkeit (importance) and has a long history in the German language. The noun Wichtigkeit is formed from wichtig plus the suffix -keit, and the adjective heute reflects the same root with standard Germanic inflectional patterns. The contrast among die Formen wichtig, wichtiger, wichtiges, wichtigen, and wichtigem reflects the broader system of German adjective declension (strong, mixed, and weak endings) governed by the presence or absence of determiners.

See also

wichti—Wichtigkeit; wichtig; German adjective declension; German grammar.