zarter

Zarter is the comparative form of the German adjective zart, meaning tender, delicate, or gentle. It marks a higher degree of tenderness, delicacy, or gentleness than something described as zart. The form is used both attributively and predicatively, for example: ein zarter Duft, eine zarte Haut, ein zarter Geschmack; Der Braten ist zarter als jener.

In the comparative degree the ending changes with the article and gender: with definite articles it becomes zartere (der zartere Duft, die zartere Haut); with indefinite articles it becomes zarterer (ein zarterer Duft); predicative use follows normal inflection: Er ist zarter. The superlative is am zartesten, as in Der Braten war am zartesten.

Zarter is used across contexts to describe food, texture, sound, light, and emotional or aesthetic subtleties. Common collocations include zarter Duft, zarte Haut, zarter Geschmack, zarter Klang, and zarter Stil. The word carries positive connotations of gentleness and refinement.

Synonyms include zärtlich, fein, sanft; antonyms include grob, hart. Zarter remains primarily a grammatical inflection of zart and is not typically used as a stand-alone lexical item beyond its function as the comparative form.