sicherste

Sicherste is the superlative form of the German adjective sicher, meaning safest. It is used to describe something as having the highest degree of safety or security within a defined context. The form appears in singular with masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns when the adjective is used after a definite article, for example: der sicherste Weg (the safest way), die sicherste Methode (the safest method), das sicherste Auto (the safest car). In these cases, the ending -ste marks the superlative in a weak declension pattern.

In the plural, the superlative takes the ending -sten after a definite article: die sichersten Wege (the safest paths). The adjective can also be used predicatively, as in Der Weg ist der sicherste, though in everyday speech speakers often prefer the adverbial superlative am sichersten to express the most safety, as in Dieser Weg ist am sichersten.

Sicherste can function as an attributive adjective (modifying a noun) or, in some constructions, as a short form used with a definite article or pronoun. When not paired with a definite article, the strong declension would yield andere endings such as sicherer or sicherstes, depending on gender, number, and case.

Etymologically, sicher derives from older Germanic roots meaning secure or certain, with the standard German superlative suffix -ste applied to form sicherste. The term is common in discussions of safety, risk assessment, travel, architecture, and product labeling.

See also: sicher, sicherer, am sichersten, Sicherheit.