naturwissenschaftlicher

Naturwissenschaftlicher is a German adjective meaning relating to or characteristic of the natural sciences. It is formed from Naturwissenschaft, the term for natural science, with the adjectival suffix -lich. In practice, naturwissenschaftlicher describes things connected with the natural sciences, such as concepts, methods, institutions, or curricula, and is common in educational, research, and policy contexts.

As with other German adjectives, naturwissenschaftlich inflects to agree with gender, number, and case. In masculine singular before an indefinite article or in a strong declension, the form is naturwissenschaftlicher (for example, ein naturwissenschaftlicher Lehrer). Before a definite article, as in der naturwissenschaftliche Unterricht, the form is naturwissenschaftliche or naturwissenschaftlich with the appropriate ending in other cases. Feminine singular uses naturwissenschaftliche (die naturwissenschaftliche Lehrkraft), neuter singular uses naturwissenschaftliches (das naturwissenschaftliche Ergebnis), and plural uses naturwissenschaftliche (die naturwissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse).

Usage is widespread in contexts distinguishing natural sciences from other fields, such as the humanities (Geisteswissenschaften). It can describe educational content (naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht), professional orientation (naturwissenschaftlicher Beruf), or approaches and thinking (naturwissenschaftliches Denken). The term helps categorize materials, research methods, and arguments according to their basis in empirical, natural-science methodologies.

See also: Naturwissenschaft, Wissenschaft, Geisteswissenschaften, Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften.