riskanter

Riskanter is a German adjective in the comparative degree of riskant, meaning "more risky" or "riskier." It is used to compare the level of risk between actions, plans, or situations. The word is formed by adding the comparative ending -er to riskant, following standard German adjective comparison rules. In practice, riskanter is most commonly used predicatively after forms of sein, werden, or bleiben, or in comparisons introduced by als. For example: "Dieser Weg ist riskanter als der andere."

Usage notes: As with other German comparatives, riskanter can appear in different syntactic positions. In a sentence with a linking verb, it functions as a predicate adjective: "Der Plan ist riskanter geworden." When used attributively before a noun, the form follows normal adjective inflection rules depending on the article and case, so the exact ending can vary. Because of these inflection patterns, speakers sometimes choose to rephrase to avoid complex declension, for instance by using a phrase such as "mit höherem Risiko" in places where precision is required.

Etymology: riskant is a loanword in German, borrowed from English risk or possibly from French risqué; riskanter is the regular German comparative form derived from riskant. The term is common in risk communication, business planning, safety assessments, journalism, and everyday language to describe higher risk relative to a reference point.

See also: risk, riskant, Risikobewertung, Risikomanagement.