beliebterer

Beliebterer is a nonstandard, coined form found in contemporary German, primarily in informal online contexts. It is not an officially recognized grammatical form. Standard German expresses increasing degree of popularity with the comparative form beliebter or with the adverbial phrase noch beliebter, or the superlative am beliebtesten. Beliebterer functions as a playful or ironic intensifier rather than a grammatically correct variant.

Etymology and form: The base adjective is beliebt (popular). The conventional comparative is beliebter (more popular). Beliebterer does not appear in standard grammar; it adds an extra -er as a stylistic exaggeration, a pattern sometimes used in memes and social media to signal irony, emphasis, or a deliberately incorrect imitation of speech. Because it deviates from established rules, it is typically described as a nonce or humorous formation rather than a legitimate lexeme.

Usage: Beliebterer appears in casual writing, memes, captions, and marketing that aims for a tongue-in-cheek or edgy tone. It serves to parody over-derivation or to dramatize a claim about popularity. In formal writing or careful editing, the form should be avoided in favor of the proper comparative (beliebter) or the phrase noch beliebter.

Examples: A nonstandard usage might read, “Dieses Meme ist beliebterer als jenes.” This would be considered incorrect in standard German; the correct forms are “beliebter als” or “noch beliebter als.” In tongue-in-cheek copy, you might see “beliebterer Trend” used to create a playful contrast with conventional phrasing.

See also: German comparatives and superlatives, language play in online culture, meme language.