selvempi

Selvempi is the comparative form of the Finnish adjective selvä, meaning clear, obvious, or plain. It denotes a greater degree of clarity or evidence than another statement or explanation. The comparative is formed by adding the suffix -mpi to the stem selvä, following standard Finnish morphology. Selvempi can be used both attributively, as in selvempi ratkaisu, and predicatively, as in Tämä ratkaisu on selvempi.

In usage, selvempi appears in contexts where greater clarity is desired, such as technical writing, journalism, or argumentation, but it is also common in everyday speech. It modifies nouns referring to explanations, results, plans, or instructions, and it can be combined with other modifiers to emphasize precision: for example, selvempi ratkaisu or selvempi ohje.

Examples include: “Tämä selvempi selitys auttaa ymmärtämään asian.” and “Ratkaisun on selvempi kuin aiempi ehdotus.” These illustrate the sense of increased clarity and persuasiveness that selvempi conveys.

Notes: Etymology traces selvempi to selvä plus the comparative suffix -mpi. The adverbial form selvemmin exists for modifying verbs meaning “more clearly.” See also: selvä.