Onyttiga

Onyttiga is a Swedish adjective meaning not useful or lacking practical value. It describes something that does not provide benefit, usefulness, or functional worth. The word is formed from nyttig, meaning useful, with the negating prefix o-.

Grammatical forms are the same as other adjectives. The base form is onyttig for en-words (singular common gender), onyttigt for ett-words (singular neuter), and onyttiga for plural nouns. In definite constructions the adjective takes the usual definite position before the noun, for example den onyttiga saken or de påstått onyttiga sakerna. The plural form onyttiga is therefore common across definite and indefinite contexts.

Usage and nuance: Onyttiga is comparatively rare in everyday speech. Swedish often prefers onödig to express “unnecessary,” or värdelös for “worthless.” Onyttig stresses that something lacks practical usefulness or value, rather than simply being unnecessary. It can be used descriptively about objects, tasks, or ideas, for example onyttiga detaljer (pointless details), onyttiga uppgifter (useless tasks), or onyttiga vanor (unhelpful habits).

Related terms and contrasts: nyttig (useful) is the direct positive counterpart. Onödig and onödiga describe lack of necessity rather than lack of usefulness. The choice between these terms can affect tone, with onyttig often signaling practical inefficacy rather than mere absence of necessity.

See also: nyttig, onödig, värdelös.