vernünftiger

Vernünftiger is the comparative form of the German adjective vernünftig, meaning more reasonable, sensible, or well-founded. As a modifier, it describes a higher degree of good judgment or practicality in a person, a plan, a decision, or an action. The word is commonly used in everyday speech as well as in formal writing.

In use, vernünftiger can be attributive as in ein vernünftiger Mensch or ein vernünftiger Plan, where the adjective directly modifies a noun. It can also be predicative: Er ist vernünftiger geworden, indicating a change in its subject’s level of reasonableness or prudence. The comparative form is typically introduced with als: Dieser Vorschlag ist vernünftiger als jener.

Vernünftig results from the noun Vernunft (reason), with the suffix -ig forming the adjective. The overarching sense covers practicality, sound judgment, and rational justification. The opposite form is unvernünftig, used to describe behavior that lacks sense or prudence. A related adverbial expression is vernünftigerweise, used to indicate that something should be done in a sensible or reasonable way, roughly equivalent to “reasonably” or “practically speaking.”

Usage note: vernünftig wird oft in moralischen, wirtschaftlichen oder logischen Kontexten verwendet, um Entscheidungen oder Handlungen zu bewerten. In translations, vernünftig kann mit sensible, prudent, rational oder well-founded wiedergegeben werden, je nach Kontext. The term forms part of a broader semantic field around rationality and prudent conduct in German.