droeviger

Droeviger is the comparative form of the Dutch adjective droevig, meaning more sad or sorrowful. It is used to compare levels of sadness between people, events, or moods.

Usage examples can illustrate its function: “Het nieuws maakte het verhaal droeviger” (The news made the story sadder) or “De sfeer werd droeviger naarmate de avond vorderde.” In formal or careful prose, one may also say “meer droevig” as an alternative to the single-word form, though droeviger is common in everyday language.

Etymology and related forms: droevig derives from older Dutch forms such as droevich and droef, which carry a sense of sorrow. The comparative droeviger is formed with the standard -er suffix used for many Dutch adjectives ending in -ig. The corresponding superlative is usually expressed as “het meest droevig” rather than a single-word form.

Usage notes: droeviger typically appears in literary, journalistic, or conversational Dutch when a precise, one-word comparison of sadness is intended. It is closely related to synonyms like triest, somber, and treurig, though each term carries its own nuance.

See also: triest, somber, treurig, droevig. While the word can describe moods, events, or characters, context will determine whether a single-word comparative like droeviger or an expression such as “meer droevig” is most natural.