Elativ

[ˈeːlatiːf]

/[ˈeːlatiːf]/ noun

The verdict

“Elativ” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - absolut höchste Stufe der Steigerung der Adjektive; der Elativ wird im Deutschen durch den absoluten Superlativ oder besonders durch Adverbien ausgedrückt

Corpus desk

Index DE-elativ · Elativ · German

Elativ · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Elativ
PropertyValue
HeadwordElativ
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈeːlatiːf]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Elativ“ im Deutschen

Elativsitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Elativ is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈeːlatiːf]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Elativ has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Elativ, spelled E-L-A-T-I-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    absolut höchste Stufe der Steigerung der Adjektive; der Elativ wird im Deutschen durch den absoluten Superlativ oder besonders durch Adverbien ausgedrückt
  2. 2
    unter anderem in den finnisch-ugrischen Sprachen ein Kasus der Richtung von innen nach außen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Elativ appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In „Hans ist ein äußerst großer Junge“ drückt das adverbiell verwendete Adjektiv äußerst den Elativ aus. Statt „äußerst“ kommen für den Elativ auch weitere Wörter wie „extrem“, "sehr", „unübertrefflich“ in Frage.
  2. „Der Elativ ist also nicht eine eigene Komparationsform des Adjektivs, sondern eine besondere Gebrauchsweise des Superlativs.“

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Elativ"?
"Elativ" is spelled E-L-A-T-I-V. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈeːlatiːf].
What does "Elativ" mean?
As a noun, "Elativ" means: absolut höchste Stufe der Steigerung der Adjektive; der Elativ wird im Deutschen durch den absoluten Superlativ oder besonders durch Adverbien ausgedrückt
How do you pronounce "Elativ"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Elativ" is [ˈeːlatiːf]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Elativ" come from?
"Elativ" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list