ovanligare

Ovanligare is a Swedish adjective that serves as the comparative form of ovanlig, meaning more unusual or rarer. It is used to indicate a higher degree of rarity or uncommonness in a person, phenomenon, event, or object.

The word is typically formed by adding the comparative suffix -ligare to the base adjective ovanlig. In practice, speakers alternate between lavishing the -ligare form and using a periphrastic construction with mer ovanlig, depending on tone, formality, and regional preference. While ovanligare is widely understood, some prescriptive guides advise that for formal writing the periphrastic form mer ovanlig may be preferred in certain contexts.

Usage notes and style considerations vary by region and register. In more formal or technical writing, writers may opt for mer ovanlig to convey the same degree of difference without relying on a single-word comparative. In everyday speech and informal writing, ovanligare is common and tends to sound natural. The choice between ovanligare and mer ovanlig can subtly affect emphasis, with the former often signaling a stronger or more definite departure from what is typical.

See also: ovanlig, comparative forms of Swedish adjectives, language style guides.

Ovanligare thus functions as a standard, though sometimes debated, comparative form in Swedish, used to express that something is more unusual than another reference point.