hervorragende

Hervorragende is the attributive form of the German adjective hervorragend, meaning outstanding or excellent. It is used before a noun to indicate very high quality. The ending of the adjective changes with gender, number, and case; the form hervorragende appears for feminine singular nouns (die hervorragende Leistung) and for all plural nouns (die hervorragenden Ergebnisse), among other contexts. The masculine singular and neuter singular forms are hilfreich geprägt differently (hervorragender, hervorragendes) in corresponding constructions.

Etymology and form: The adjective hervorragend derives from the prefix hervor- (out, forth) combined with ragen (to protrude). The sense evolved to describe something that stands out or is notably good. In modern German, the attributive form требуют agreement with the noun, and the exact ending depends on the article or determiner used and the noun’s gender and case.

Usage: Hervorragende is common in formal, professional, and academic language, as well as journalism and official communications. It emphasizes a high standard or exceptional quality. Examples include: eine hervorragende Leistung (an outstanding performance), hervorragende Ergebnisse (outstanding results), eine hervorragende Idee (an excellent idea), and eine hervorragende Wahl (an excellent choice). It can also appear without an article in broader descriptors, as in hervorragende Arbeit.

Comparison and nuance: Synonyms include ausgezeichnet, exzellent, erstklassig. Slight nuance exists: hervorragend often conveys a strong, noticeable level of quality, suitable for praise in objective or evaluative contexts. It is not a noun; when needed as a noun phrase, German typically uses eine nominalisierte Form or rephrases the sentence.

Overall, hervorragend and its inflected forms are widely used to express high quality and merit in German.