ungenauesten

Ungenauesten is the superlative form of the German adjective ungenau, meaning most imprecise or most inaccurate. It is used to describe a plural noun and denotes the highest degree of inaccuracy within a given set or comparison. As a attributive adjective, it typically appears before a plural noun with a definite determiner, for example: die ungenauesten Messungen or die ungenauesten Werte.

Morphology and usage

In plural form with a definite article or demonstratives, the superlative adjective takes the ending -en, so ungenauesten appears as the attributive form before plural nouns (for example, die ungenauesten Ergebnisse, jene ungenauesten Messungen). In the singular, the corresponding forms are ungenauester (masculine), ungenaueste (feminine, neuter), and ungenauester/ungenaueste depending on gender and case. The word is not typically used as a noun; it remains an adjective describing the noun it precedes.

Adverbial use

The superlative can also appear in adverbial constructions such as am ungenauesten, which means “in the most imprecise way.” This usage is less common in everyday speech but occurs in more formal or analytical prose.

Etymology

The form derives from ungenau plus the standard German superlative suffix -sten, with the definite article or determiner influencing the surrounding inflection. The meaning remains constant: indicating the greatest degree of inaccuracy among a group.

Availability in language

Ungenauesten is a standard grammatical form in German. It is primarily found in descriptive, comparative, or evaluative contexts—such as scientific reporting, technical writing, or linguistic analysis—where precision and nuance in describing accuracy levels are important.