aufmerksamer

Aufmerksamer is a German word that can function as both the comparative form of the adjective aufmerksam and as a nominalized form derived from the same adjective. It relates to attention, vigilance, and mindfulness, describing a person who is observant or shows heightened attentiveness.

As a comparative adjective, aufmerksamer means “more attentive.” It is used in predicative clauses, for example: Er ist aufmerksamer als früher (He is more attentive than before). It also appears in attributive phrases: ein aufmerksamer Beobachter (a more attentive observer) or eine aufmerksame Lehrerin (a more attentive teacher). The endings change with the noun: der aufmerksame Mann, die aufmerksame Frau, das aufmerksame Verhalten, etc.

As a noun, der Aufmerksame can denote “the attentive one,” i.e., a person who is attentive. The feminine form die Aufmerksame and the plural die Aufmerksamen are also possible, depending on gender and number. For example: Der Aufmerksame bemerkte das Detail zuerst.

Etymologically, aufmerksamer derives from aufmerksam with the agent-noun suffix -er, and it is related to the noun Aufmerksam­keit (attention) as well as to the base adjective aufmerksam. Related terms include aufmerksam (attentive) and the synonym achtsam (mindful). The word is used in standard German in both everyday and formal contexts, with its noun form more common in narrative or descriptive passages.

See also: German grammar, adjectives and their comparative forms, nominalized adjectives, Aufmerksam­keit.