Mjukna

Mjukna is a Swedish verb meaning to become soft or to soften. It can refer to physical softening of objects, such as bread or leather, as well as more abstract or metaphorical softening of attitudes, feelings, or restrictions. The term is formed from mjuk, meaning soft, and is used intransitively, often with adjectives or nouns describing the subject.

In Swedish conjugation, mjukna appears as follows in common tenses: infinitive mjukna, present mjuknar, past mjuknade, supine mjuknat. The verb can be used with perfect and pluperfect constructions, as in har mjuknat or hade mjuknat. The imperative form is mjukna, used to urge someone to become softer or more lenient in a figurative sense.

Etymology and related forms: mjukna is derived from the adjective mjuk meaning soft. It has cognates in related North Germanic languages, such as Norwegian mykna, which share the same core meaning of becoming soft. The concept extends across literal material softening and figurative softening of temperament or stance.

Usage and contexts: common literal contexts include objects that lose rigidity, for example bröd som mjuknar eller läder som mjuknar. Metaphorically, mjukna can describe people’s attitudes softening over time, policies becoming less harsh, or tensions easing. The expression is versatile, appearing in everyday speech as well as literary language.

See also: softening, materials science of softening, metaphorical softening in language.