Avfällas

Avfällas is the present passive form of the Swedish verb avfalla, which means to renounce or fall away from a faith, allegiance, or cause. The term is most commonly used in religious contexts to describe someone who leaves a church or abandons a belief system, but it can also be applied more broadly to leaving a political or ideological movement. In active voice the equivalent is avfalla, as in han avfaller från tron.

Etymology and form: avfalla combines the prefix av- (away) with falla (to fall), conveying the sense of turning away or drifting apart. The form avfällas signals a passive, ongoing state or action affecting the subject. Related noun forms include avfall, meaning apostasy, and avfällning, the act of apostatizing. In discussions, the word often appears with strong theological or historical associations.

Usage and nuance: Avfällas is mainly found in theological, historical, or formal writing. In everyday Swedish, people more commonly use phrasing such as lämna tron or bli troende förklarad som avhoppare, depending on context. The term carries normative and sometimes stigmatizing overtones, reflecting how communities react to members who renounce a shared belief. It is commonly contrasted with terms describing continued adherence or conversion.

See also: apostasi, avfall, avfällning.