Gjennomsnittlige

Gjennomsnittlige is a Norwegian adjective form meaning average or typical. It is used to describe a noun that has the mean value, or to indicate a general or representative quality within a group or set. The related noun gjennomsnitt denotes the mathematical mean or arithmetic average.

Morphology and usage

Gjennomsnittlige is the plural indefinite form of gjennomsnittlig. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. For example: De gjennomsnittlige tallene i undersøkelsen var lavere enn forventet (The average numbers in the survey were lower than expected). In definite plural constructions, the form becomes de gjennomsnittlige tallene. In singular use, one can say en gjennomsnittlig verdi or et gjennomsnittlig nivå.

Relation to the noun gjennomsnitt

Gjennomsnittlig functions as an adjective describing average characteristics, while gjennomsnitt as a noun refers to the actual mean value. Sentences often contrast the noun (gjennomsnitt) with the adjective form (gjennomsnittlig/gjennomsnittlige): Gjennomsnittet viser midtpunktet, mens den gjennomsnittlige satsen beskriver kvaliteten omkring dette punktet.

Etymology and related forms

The adjective gjennomsnittlig is formed from gjennomsnitt (the average) plus the suffix -lig, meaning “having the quality of.” The form gjennomsnittlige mirrors typical Norwegian adjective inflection. Related forms exist in other Scandinavian languages, such as gennemsnitlig in Danish and genomsnittlig/genomsnittligt in Swedish.

See also

Gjennomsnitt (the average/mean) and related statistical terms. The word is used in statistics, quality assessment, economics, and everyday language to describe typical or central values.