Samhällets

Samhällets is a Swedish term that functions as the genitive form of the noun samhället, meaning the society or the public sphere. It is used to indicate possession, association, or relevance to society as a whole, rather than referring to a specific person or thing.

In Swedish, to form the genitive, speakers typically add the possessive suffix -s to the definite form of a noun. For samhället, this yields samhällets. The construction is common in formal and written language and appears in a wide range of contexts, from academic writing to public policy discourse.

Usage examples include phrases such as samhällets behov (society’s needs), samhällets kostnader (society’s costs), and samhällsinstitutioner or samhällsorgan, where the possessive signals that the discussion concerns society at large. The term often appears in discussions about welfare, public administration, and social policy, where macro-level structures, responsibilities, and resources are described.

Samhällets is a grammatical form rather than a standalone noun. It should be distinguished from the base noun samhället, which simply means “the society.” When used, samhällets places emphasis on ownership, obligation, or relevance to the collective rather than to any particular individual.

See also: samhälle, samhällsvetenskap, samhällsplanering.