Skäligen

Skäligen is a Swedish adverb meaning to a justified extent or reasonably. It is the adverbial form of the adjective skälig, which denotes something that is justifiable, appropriate, or proportionate. The word is primarily used in formal, administrative, and legal Swedish, and it is less common in everyday speech.

Etymology and form: Skäligen derives from the adjective skälig. In modern Swedish, the adverbial form developed to modify verbs, adjectives, or entire clauses in a way that indicates justification or adequacy. As a linguistic term, skäligen is part of a family of words concerned with reasonableness and propriety.

Usage and nuance: Skäligen is used to mark that a claim, action, or assessment meets a standard of justification. In legal, governmental, or scholarly texts, it helps to convey that conclusions are warranted by the circumstances or evidence. It is a formal alternative to more everyday expressions of reasonableness, such as rimligt or lämpligt, and it carries a sense of normative justification rather than mere probability.

Related terms: The noun form skälighet denotes propriety or reasonableness, and the related adjective skälig shares the same core meaning. Skäligen contrasts with more casual synonyms and is preferred in precise or official writing.

See also: Skälighet, skälig, rimlig.