Skälig

Skälig is a Swedish adjective meaning reasonable, fair, or justified. It describes something that is warranted by circumstances, norms, or rules, and is often used to indicate that a decision, sum, or action is appropriate given the situation.

Common contexts are formal or official: for example, skälig ersättning means reasonable compensation, skälig grund means a justified or warranted reason, and skälig kostnad refers to a cost that is fair and appropriate. In everyday language it can replace or be used alongside synonyms like rimlig, though skälig often carries a stronger sense of justification or fairness. The negative form is oskälig, meaning unreasonable or improper.

Grammar and usage notes: skälig declines like a regular first- or second-declension Swedish adjective. Indefinite singular en-words take en skälig kostnad, while ett-words take ett skäligt pris; plural forms are skäliga kostnader. The adverbial form is på ett skäligt sätt, meaning in a reasonable way. Comparative and superlative forms are infrequent in common speech, with the standard approach often preferred over explicit gramatical forms.

Etymology and relations: the word is native to Swedish and is connected to the root idea of reason or justification, related to the noun skäl (reason). It has cognates and parallel terms in other Nordic languages that express related notions of reasonableness and justification. See also skälighet (reasonableness) and oskälighet (unreasonableness).

In sum, skälig marks what is justifiable and appropriate within a given framework, making it a staple in legal, administrative, and formal discourse as well as careful everyday usage.