belangrijker

Belangrijker is a Dutch adjective that serves as the comparative form of belangrijk, meaning more important or more significant. It is used to compare the relative importance of two or more things, events, or ideas. The corresponding superlative is belangrijkste.

The word is formed from belang (importance) with the standard comparative suffix -er, yielding belangrijker. In most contexts, it follows the general rule that the comparative is used for direct comparison, with the pair connected by dan (than): Bijvoorbeeld, Dit onderwerp is belangrijker dan dat onderwerp. The superlative form belangrijkste is used to indicate the highest degree of importance within a set.

Usage notes and variations: In everyday language, sommige speakers may use meer belangrijk as an alternative, especially for emphasis or with longer adjectives, but belangrijker is the more common and natural choice for most Dutch text and speech. The adjective also declines for definiteness and number: before a noun, the form can become belangrijkere (plural) or, with a definite determiner, belangrijkere onderwerpen or het belangrijkste onderwerp for the superlative. In practice, the standard attributive form before a noun is either belangrijker or belangrijkere depending on number and definiteness.

Examples: “Veiligheid is belangrijker dan snelheid.” “Tijdens de vergadering bleek veiligheid het belangrijkste aandachtspunt.” Editors and style guides typically prefer belangrijker for straightforward comparisons, reserving meer belangrijk for emphasis or specific stylistic effects.