nördlicheren

Nördlicheren is the comparative form of the German adjective nördlich and means more northern. It is not a standalone noun but an inflected adjective ending that appears in attributive position before plural nouns under certain declension conditions. The form typically arises when there is no definite article before the noun or when a determiner that triggers a strong or mixed declension is used, and the noun is plural.

In practice, nördlicheren occurs in phrases such as in nördlicheren Regionen Europas or zu nördlicheren Zeiten, where Regionen or Zeiten are plural and the context does not supply a definite article that would yield the weak ending. The ending reflects the combination of the comparative suffix -er with the plural ending -en seen in some strong or mixed declensions. When a definite article is present, the adjective usually takes the corresponding weak ending, for example die nördlichen Regionen in nominative or accusative plural.

Usage notes:

- The form is most common with plural nouns in contexts like geographic or temporal comparisons.

- With definite articles or determiner phrases that signal a specific set of nouns, the form changes to die nördlichen Regionen (weak ending) or other appropriate endings depending on case and article.

- The umlaut in nördlich is retained in the comparative form: nördlicheren.

Examples illustrate its function in indicating a greater degree of northern location or timing relative to another reference point. The word appears mainly in descriptive or comparative writing about places, climates, or periods.