vrolijker

Vrolijker is the Dutch comparative form of the adjective vrolijk, meaning more cheerful or happier. It is used when comparing the degree of cheerfulness between two people, groups, or things. For example: Vandaag ben ik vrolijker dan gisteren; Het team is nog vrolijker geworden na de overwinning.

In standard Dutch, the comparative is formed by adding the suffix -er to vrolijk to yield vrolijker, and the superlative by adding -ste to yield vrolijkste. The superlative is used with definite nouns or with de/het-phrases, as in: Hij is de vrolijkste leerling van de klas. There are contexts in which periphrastic forms like meer vrolijk are possible, but vrolijker is the common and concise choice in everyday language.

Etymology traces vrolijk back to Middle Dutch vrolijc, related to the Old Dutch vocabulary for lively and merry. It belongs to a family of Germanic words that express merriment and liveliness, with cognates in other languages such as German fröhlich and English frolic in historical usage.

Common usage notes: vrolijker typically describes mood or atmosphere, but can also characterize behavior or expression (a vrolijkere glimlach, a more cheerful mood). The term is widely understood across Dutch-speaking regions and is appropriate in formal and informal writing alike.

See also: vrolijk (the base adjective), vrolijkheid (cheerfulness), Dutch comparative and superlative forms.