repräsentativsten

repräsentativsten is the superlative form of the German adjective repräsentativ. It denotes the highest degree of representativeness and is used to describe persons, objects, or concepts that most closely embody typical or exemplary characteristics.

Grammatically, repräsentativsten can appear in attributive position after a definite article, with endings changing by gender, number, and case. Examples in the singular and plural include: der repräsentativste Mann, die repräsentativste Frau, das repräsentativste Bild, and die repräsentativsten Bilder. In the genitive singular masculine or neuter, you find forms like des repräsentativsten Mannes or des repräsentativsten Merkmals. In dative plural: den repräsentativsten Bildern. Without a definite article, other endings such as repräsentativste or repräsentativere can occur, depending on the declension pattern. There is also an adverbial superlative form: am repräsentativsten, used to modify verbs or clauses, as in “Unter allen Beispielen ist dies am repräsentativsten.”

Etymology and usage notes: repräsentativ stems from the Latin-based term repräsentativ and entered German through early modern usage, with the superlative ending -sten conforming to standard German adjective inflection. The word is common in formal, academic, and analytical writing when discussing examples, characteristics, or categories that best illustrate a concept.

See also: representativ, Repräsentation, Adjektivdeklination. In practice, repräsentativsten serves to identify the strongest or most characteristic instance within a set, and its exact form depends on article use, number, and case.