oberflächlicher

Oberflächlicher is the comparative form of the German adjective oberflächlich, meaning superficial or on the surface. It is used to describe a greater degree of superficiality in people, analyses, or representations, for example: eine oberflächliche Betrachtung oder er ist oberflächlicher geworden.

Grammatically, oberflächlich is an adjective and forms the comparative with the ending -er. It can modify masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns and appears in attributive as well as predicative positions, depending on gender, number, and case. Common usage includes phrases such as eine oberflächlichere Analyse oder ein oberflächlichere Argument, though the exact ending varies with agreement.

As a noun, the word is rarely used in ordinary language; when a noun form is needed, German may render it as der Oberflächliche (a superficial person) or, more commonly, use a noun like Oberflächlichkeit (superficiality) or eine oberflächliche Person to avoid awkward self-qualification of the adjective.

Etymology and meaning: oberflächlich combines the prefix ober- (on the surface) with flächlich (related to surface or depth), tracing back to the sense of being concerned with appearances rather than underlying substance. The concept aligns with the English term superficial and contrasts with deeper, more thorough, or analytically rigorous approaches.

Related terms include tiefgründig, gründlich, and tiefgehend, which describe depth and thoroughness. In discourse, oberflächlicher often critiques analyses, judgments, or behaviors for lacking depth, coherence, or consideration of underlying factors.