Opweegt

Opweegt is a Dutch verb meaning to weigh up or to outweigh, typically used to describe weighing different factors against each other or balancing benefits against drawbacks. The sense is that one set of elements carries more weight or importance than another.

Etymology and form. The word combines the prefix op- with het werkwoord wegen (to weigh). In use, Dutch often constructs the idea of weighing against something with the phrase wegen op tegen, or simply wegen tegen when noting a comparison. The form opweegt appears as the base meaning in some grammatical explanations, but in ordinary present-tense usage the common structure is wegen op tegen or weegt op tegen in fixed phrases, depending on the subject and tense.

Usage and examples. Opweegt is used in contexts such as policy, decision-making, law, and everyday argumentation to express that one set of considerations is heavier than another. Examples include: De baten wegen op tegen de kosten. (The benefits outweigh the costs.) Zijn argumenten wegen op tegen de tegenargumenten. (His arguments weigh up against the counterarguments.) In informal language, afwegen is another common verb with a similar meaning, but opwegen emphasizes balancing factors against each other, sometimes with a stronger sense of weighing against.

Nuance and related terms. Opwegen is closely related to afwegen, but the former often conveys a balance that is more outcome-focused, while afwegen emphasizes an evaluation process. The phrase tegen is frequently used to specify what is being weighed against. In legal and policy writing, opwegen tegen can appear in formal statements evaluating risks, benefits, and trade-offs.

See also: afwegen, wegen, tegen, balans.