conjunction
all the more, even more
B1
Umso: a correlative comparative adverb meaning 'all the more' or 'even more'. It appears paired with 'je' (je ... umso/desto ...) to show proportional increase: Je mehr..., umso besser. Not standalone; used in comparative clauses and never inflected. Common in formal and colloquial German.
Examples
Je mehr Regen fiel, umso länger dauerte die Sperrung, obwohl die Arbeiter schnell arbeiteten.
The more rain fell, the longer the closure lasted, although the workers worked quickly.
Je mehr du übst, umso besser wirst du.
The more you practice, the better you'll get.
Er war nervös, und umso erfreuter war er über die gute Nachricht.
He was nervous, and all the more pleased when he heard the good news.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine a rising arrow labeled 'umso' showing increasing intensity.
Think 'um so' = 'all the so' — emphasizes an increase.
Notes
Usually appears in the correlative construction 'je ... umso/desto ...' to express proportional relationships (the more ... the ...).