trockener

Trockener is the comparative form of the German adjective trocken, meaning dry. It is used to express that one thing is more dry than another. Like other German adjectives, trockener inflects according to gender, number, and case, so the exact form varies with article and position in the sentence.

In practice, trockener appears in several common contexts. For example: Dieser Stoff ist trockener als jener. (This fabric is drier than that one.) Der Boden ist trockener geworden. (The floor has become drier.) Ein trockener Wein ist eine Weinbeschreibung, in der Trockenheit als Qualitätsmerkmal bewertet wird. (A dry wine is described as having higher dryness.)

Grammatical note: When the adjective follows a definite article, the form changes with gender and case, for instance der trockene Stoff (masculine nominative) or die trockene Oma (feminine nominative). When the article is indefinite, as in ein trockener Stoff, the form is trockener for masculine nominative. In predicative position after sein, the form is typically trockener: Der Stoff ist trockener.

Etymology and related forms: trocken itself traces to older Germanic roots and has cognates in related languages; trockener shares the same root. The word is primarily an adjective describing moisture content; it is not normally used as a stand-alone noun. For the common noun meaning a device that dries, the standard term is Trockner (dryer) in German.

Usage considerations: In everyday language, trockener is used to compare dryness in objects or substances such as fabrics, foods, or wines. When referring to humidity or moisture, it is important to distinguish trocken from words for dryness in specific domains, such as Trockenheit (dryness) or der Trockner for an appliance.