sportlicher

Sportlicher is the comparative form of the German adjective sportlich, meaning more athletic or sporty. It is used to describe something that has a higher degree of sportiness, whether referring to people, clothing, styles, or performances. The base adjective sportlich stems from the noun Sport with the suffix -lich, and it conveys characteristics related to sport or athletic activity.

In ordinary usage, sportlich can be placed before a noun or used predicatively. The attributive form changes with gender, number, and case: der sportliche Mann, die sportliche Frau, das sportliche Kind; ein sportlicher Mann, eine sportliche Frau, ein sportliches Kind. In predicative or comparative constructions the form sportlicher appears: Er ist sportlicher als ich. This form is commonly used to express that someone or something is more athletic or agile relative to another.

Common contexts include descriptions of people (ein sportlicher Athlet), objects (ein sportlicher Look, ein sportlicher Stil), or lifestyles (ein sportlicher Lebensstil). The phrase sportlicher look, for example, has become widespread in German-language advertising and media to convey a modern, active image. While sportlich is the neutral positive form, sportlicher is frequently encountered in spoken German when making direct comparisons or in the comparative degree.

See also: sportlich, Sport, athletisch.