Människlig

Människlig is an adjective in Swedish that denotes something relating to humans or resembling human beings. It can describe human-like traits or, in a moral sense, humane qualities. The form is built from the noun människa (human being) with the suffix -lig, yielding “characteristic of humans” or “like humans.”

In contemporary usage, the word is less common than the related adjective mänsklig or medmänsklig. Människlig tends to appear in literary or historical contexts or when an older or more stylistic tone is desired. For everyday description, speakers usually prefer mänsklig for neutral statements and medmänsklig when emphasizing compassion or social responsibility.

Semantically, there is overlap: many contexts that convey humane or human-like qualities can be rendered with either mänsklig or medmänsklig, while mänsklig without the -lig suffix is more common in modern Swedish for general human traits. The noun form människlighet means humanity, and mänskligheten is a widely used variant. Related terms include människlighet, medmänsklighet, and the phrase mänskliga rättigheter.