nötiger

Nötiger is the comparative form of the German adjective nötig, meaning more necessary or more essential. It is used to express a higher degree of necessity between two situations, actions, or requirements. In practice, nötiger balances precision with emphasis and is more common in formal or emphatic contexts; in everyday speech speakers often choose synonyms such as notwendiger or dringender depending on nuance. A well-known idiom is nötiger denn je, meaning more necessary than ever.

Examples include: In dieser Situation ist eine schnelle Lösung nötiger denn je. Der nächste Schritt ist nötiger Grund als der vorhergehende. A noun phrase such as ein nötiger Grund or ein weiterer, nötiger Grund is also possible, though the precise inflection depends on the article and case.

Usage notes and nuance: Nötig and nötiger focus on practical need or urgency, while notwendig carries a sense of essential, inherent necessity. Dringender conveys urgency, whereas nötig can emphasize sufficiency or adequacy. In many contexts, writers prefer notwendig when stressing essential conditions, whereas nötiger may appear to stress a comparative rise in necessity, especially in argumentation or analysis.

Etymology: The word nötig derives from Old High German notîh (and related Middle High German notîch), with cognates in other Germanic languages such as Dutch nodig. The comparative form nötiger follows standard German adjective-formation patterns, adding -er to the base adjective.

See also Notwendig, Notwendigkeit, Nötigung (unrelated in meaning but sharing the root related to need).