puhtaampi

Puhtaampi is the comparative form of the Finnish adjective puhdas, meaning cleaner or purer. It is used to express a higher degree of cleanliness or purity, in both physical and abstract senses. For example, it can describe water or air as being less contaminated, as well as data quality, processes, or motives that are more unpolluted or straightforward.

In use, puhtaampi functions like other Finnish comparatives. It is placed with the noun it describes or used predicatively: Tämä vesi on puhtaampi kuin tuo. Hän haluaa puhtaamman ympäristön. The comparative is formed from the stem puhta- with the suffix -mpi, following Finnish vowel harmony; the resulting word may take appropriate inflection in phrases such as puhtaamman, puhtaimman, etc., depending on the sentence structure and case.

Puhtaampi can be applied to both tangible and intangible referents. Common collocations include puhdas or puhtaampi in contexts like kova työ to a puhtaampi työprosessi, puhtaampi energia, or puhtaampi kieli. While widely understood, in some technical or marketing contexts puhtaampi may be used metaphorically to imply higher quality or integrity of something that previously had impurities or extraneous elements.

Etymology: Puhtaampi derives from puhdas (clean), with the comparative suffix -mpi. The stem undergoes the usual Finnish phonological adjustments when combined with the suffix. The related superlative form is puhtain (most clean/pure).

See also: puhdas, puhtaus, puhtaus, puhtaampaan konteksti, puhtaampi data.