rikeste

Rikeste is a Norwegian adjective form meaning the richest. It is the superlative of the word rik, which means wealthy or rich. The term is used to describe the person, group, or entity with the highest level of wealth within a given set, such as a country, region, or community. In everyday and journalistic use, rikeste appears in phrases like landets rikeste mann (the country’s richest man) or de rikeste i landet (the richest people in the country).

Etymology and related forms: rikeste is formed from rik plus a superlative suffix common in Norwegian. It is cognate with Danish rigeste and related to equivalents in other Scandinavian languages, which also express the idea of “the most rich” or “the wealthiest.” The base word rik carries the sense of wealth, value, or abundance, and rikeste functions as the strongest comparative form in this semantic field.

Usage notes: Rikeste is typically used attributively before a noun, as in landets rikeste familie (the country’s richest family) or de rikeste menneskene (the richest people). It can also appear in predicative constructions with appropriate syntax and determiner, though the common and clear form is to pair it with a definite noun phrase when specifying a particular group. In media and statistics, rikeste is frequently used when ranking wealth, estates, or assets, and appears alongside figures, lists, or comparisons of wealth.

See also: rik (rich), rikdom (wealth), rikslister (wealth rankings), wealth-related terminology in Norwegian.