Anklagende

Anklagende is a present participle used as an adjective in some Scandinavian languages, most commonly Norwegian Bokmål and Danish, to mean accusing or accusatory. It derives from the verb meaning to accuse (anklage/anklaga) and the suffix -ende that forms present participles and related adjectives. The term corresponds to the English “accusatory” or “accusing.”

In usage, anklagende describes tone, language, or behavior that implies blame or makes a charge against someone. Examples include anklagende blikk (an accusatory look), anklagende ord (accusatory words), or anklagende retorikk (accusatory rhetoric). The form varies by language: Norwegian and Danish typically use anklagende, while Swedish commonly uses the equivalent form anklagande.

In legal contexts, the root noun anklage refers to indictment or formal charges. The adjective anklagende may appear in non-legal contexts to depict statements or actions that resemble or express accusation; formal legal prose usually relies on the noun and precise phrasing to describe charges rather than the adjective form.

Related terms include the noun anklage (indictment/charge), the verb ankla/anklage (to accuse), and the English equivalents accusatory or accusing. Although closely related across Scandinavian languages, small spelling and usage differences mean speakers should adapt to the local standard when writing formal text.