gleichbleibender

Gleichbleibender is a German adjective meaning constant, stable, or unchanging, used to describe a value, condition, or pattern that does not vary significantly over time. It is commonly applied in scientific, technical, and everyday contexts to indicate continuity or invariance.

Etymology and usage: the word comes from gleich meaning the same and bleiben meaning to stay or remain. It is typically used attributively before nouns with proper agreement, as in ein gleichbleibender Wert, eine gleichbleibende Qualität or ein gleichbleibendes Muster. In predicative constructions with bleiben, speakers often prefer expressions like bleibt konstant or bleibt unverändert, though gleichbleibend can appear in some contexts to convey ongoing stability.

Context and nuance: gleichbleibend conveys a sense of steadiness over a specified period, rather than a momentary sameness. It is common in natural language to discuss measurements, trends, or conditions that do not change significantly, such as in economics, climatology, engineering, and quality control. It differs from synonyms like konstant or stabil, which emphasize a fixed level or robustness, while gleichbleibend stresses the persistence of the condition.

Examples: Die Temperatur blieb gleichbleibend bei 22 Grad. Die Nachfrage zeigte eine gleichbleibende Entwicklung über mehrere Monate. In Berichten kann auch von gleichbleibenden Werten oder einem gleichbleibenden Trend die Rede sein.

See also: constant, unverändert, konstant, stabil, invariant.