Allvarlighet

Allvarlighet is a Swedish noun that expresses the quality of being serious, grave, or severe. It is formed from the adjective allvarlig, meaning serious or severe, with the noun-forming suffix -het, yielding the abstract concept “the state of being serious.”

In everyday language allvarlighet refers to how serious or urgent a situation is, ranging from a minor issue to a life-threatening one. In medical contexts, clinicians may describe the allvarlighet of a condition or injury to indicate how urgent or dangerous it is. In law and public safety, the term can describe the seriousness of an offense or risk, influencing judgments, penalties, or response priorities. In risk assessment and emergency planning, allvarlighet is used alongside probability to gauge overall impact, and it is common to encounter related terms such as allvarlighetsgrad or allvarlighetsnivå to denote the level of severity.

The word tends to carry a neutral to formal tone, with the perceived seriousness shaped by context. It is a standard term in Swedish for discussing gravity and consequence across domains, from everyday warnings to formal assessments and communications about safety, health, and justice. Related linguistic forms include allvarlig, which describes something serious, and compound terms like allvarlighetsgrad that specify degrees of seriousness.