Opzettelijk

Opzettelijk is a Dutch term meaning done with intention; deliberately or on purpose. It describes actions that are not accidental or incidental, but performed with a conscious aim or awareness of the likely outcome. In everyday language it can apply to a wide range of contexts, from everyday conduct to moral judgments, and is often contrasted with onopzettelijk or per ongeluk, which denote acts that occur without deliberate intent.

The word stems from op- plus zetten, with opzet meaning a plan, design, or intention. The adjective opzettelijk thus characterizes conduct that follows a decided plan or that is performed with awareness of the purpose and consequences. In practice, speakers use opzettelijk to stress that a person acted with a determined will, rather than by chance or error.

In legal contexts, opzet denotes the mental element required for many offenses. It signifies that the offender consciously intended the result or foresees the possibility of that result and proceeds anyway. This distinguishes opzettelijk from merely negligent or accidental actions. Courts and statutes sometimes differentiate levels or forms of opzet, but the central idea is a deliberate or knowingly risk-accepting mindset rather than mere fault or ignorance.

Common examples include acts performed with explicit intent to cause a specific outcome, or acts where the actor accepts the risk that the outcome will occur. The term also appears in discussions of ethical responsibility and procedural duties, where deliberate actions are weighed differently from inadvertent ones.

Overall, opzettelijk conveys intentionality and deliberateness in both linguistic and legal usage, signaling that conduct was chosen rather than random or accidental.