missbräuchlicher

Missbräuchlicher is the comparative form of the German adjective missbräuchlich, meaning abusive, improper, or misused. It is used to describe actions, practices, or uses that are more abusive or more inappropriate than another.

Etymology and usage context: The word combines the prefix miss- (indicating incorrect or wrongful) with bräuchlich, which stems from bräuchen/gebrauchen (to use). Missbräuchlich is common in formal, technical, legal, and ethical language, where concerns about misuse or exploitative behavior are discussed. The comparative missbräuchlicher is used when comparing two or more instances, as in "Dieser Zugang ist missbräuchlicher als der vorherige."

Grammar and examples: As an adjective, missbräuchlich and its comparative form follow normal German declension rules. Examples include: "eine missbräuchliche Verwendung von Daten" (an abusive use of data), "missbräuchlicher Umgang mit Ressourcen" (more abusive handling of resources). In a sentence with a gendered noun, you adjust the ending accordingly: "ein missbräuchlicher Vertrag" (masculine nominative), or in predicative position: "Der Vertrag ist missbräuchlicher geworden."

Related terms: The related noun Missbrauch means abuse or misuse, while Missbräuchlichkeit denotes the quality of being abusive or improper. The base adjective missbräuchlich is often used attributively—"missbräuchliche Praxis"—and is the non-comparative form.

Summary: Missbräuchlicher is a commonly used comparative adjective in German to express that something is more abusive or more misused relative to another reference, with applications across legal, technical, and ethical discourse.