dünner

Dünner is the comparative form of the German adjective dünn, meaning thin, slender, or of small thickness. It is used to compare the thickness, density, or extent of two or more objects or states. The sense can apply to materials such as fabrics and bread, to biological traits like skin or hair, or to liquids described as less viscous, though in everyday language thickness or density is more common.

Usage and grammar: Dünner is the standard comparative form and inflects like other German adjectives depending on the determiner and case. For example, with a definite article: der dünnere Stoff; with no determiner or after a stronger determiner: ein dünnerer Mantel or dünneres Brot in appropriate cases. In regular comparative statements, dünner appears before the noun or after a linking verb: Dieser Stoff ist dünner als jener. Die Haut wird im Alter dünner.

Contexts and nuance: In German, dünner often conveys a physical sense of being thinner rather than a metaphorical one, and it contrasts with thicker (dicker) or with words like schmaler when width is intended. In some contexts, thinner may describe texture or density, such as fabric weight or bread crust, while for liquids speakers may prefer terms like dünnflüssig to avoid ambiguity.

Other uses: Dünner may also be a German surname. As a root, it relates to the base adjective dünn, from which related forms and phrases are built.