Mångfacetterat

Mångfacetterat is a Swedish adjective that translates roughly to "multifaceted" or "complex" in English. The term is used to describe people, objects, concepts, or situations that exhibit many distinct aspects or features, often implying depth or richness in character or composition. In everyday Swedish, it can refer to a personality with many talents, a problem with several layers, or an artwork that incorporates diverse styles, among other uses.

The word is derived from the Swedish noun multifacetter, which in turn comes from the English word multifaceted, itself built from the Latin root facies (“face”) and the prefix multi- (“many”). The Swedish form appeared in the early twentieth century and has since become a common part of colloquial and literary language. It is frequently employed in fields such as cultural criticism, business analysis, psychology, and art history where a nuanced description of variety or complexity is required.

In literary contexts, writers might label a character as mångfacetterat to indicate that the individual possesses a range of contradictory traits, making the portrayal more realistic. In music criticism, a song described as mångfacetterat typically blends several genres or incorporates varied instrumentation. Business writers sometimes use the term to characterize a market that contains many segments and diverse consumer preferences.

Because of its precise descriptive power, mångfacetterat has been incorporated into various Swedish dictionaries, including the Svenska Akademiens ordlista and the Svenska Akademiens ordlista för yrkesaktörerna. The term remains in active use among students, journalists, and academics.