Afstødes

Afstødes is a Danish verb form meaning to be rejected or to be repelled. It is the present passive form of the verb afstøde (to repel, to discard). The construction is used when the subject experiences rejection or repulsion by other people, groups, or forces. For example, han afstødes af flokken means “he is rejected by the group.” The corresponding active form is afstøde, as in han afstøder folk or han afstødte ideen. The past passive is typically expressed with blev afstødt, meaning “was rejected.”

Etymology and sense

The word is built from the prefix af- (away, off) and the verb støde, and is cognate with German abstoßen, which carries a similar meaning of pushing away or repelling. In Danish, afstøde and its inflected forms are mainly used for social or figurative repulsion, though the sense can extend to other contexts where something is pushed away or rejected.

Usage and nuances

Afstødes describes a state of rejection that is experienced by the subject. It can occur in social situations, such as ostracism within a group, or in figurative language referring to ideas, policies, or relationships that are rejected. The term is distinct from afvise, which more directly means to refuse or reject something in a deliberate or explicit sense. In formal or scientific writing, other terms like frastødning (repulsion) or udstødning (ostracism) may be used depending on context.

Related terms

afstøde (active form), afstødte (past active), blev afstødt (past passive). See also afvisning, udstødelse, and frastødning for related concepts of rejection and repulsion.