Skäligt

Skäligt is a Swedish term that means reasonable, fair, justifiable, or appropriate. It can function as an adjective in the form skälig, and as an adverb in the form skäligt, commonly appearing in predicative or attributive positions. In everyday language and in more formal contexts, it describes something that is deserved or proper and that can be reasonably expected or accepted.

Usage and examples

Skäligt is often used with nouns to indicate a price, compensation, basis, or reason that is considered fair or warranted. Common collocations include ett skäligt pris (a reasonable price), skälig ersättning (reasonable compensation), skälig grund (a valid basis), and skälig anledning (a justifiable reason). The phrase Det är skäligt att... expresses a reasonable action or response. In legal or contractual language, skäligt is employed to convey a standard of fairness or justification, as in skälig ersättning eller skälig kostnad.

Nuance and synonyms

Skäligt implies justification or fairness, often with a moral or practical dimension. It is related to, but distinct from, rimlig, which more broadly signals plausibility or sufficiency. While rimlig can emphasize adequacy, skälig stresses justified fairness or deservedness in a given context. Antonyms include orimlig (unreasonable) or orättvis (unjust). Skälig usage is common in both everyday speech and formal writing, including discussions of pay, penalties, or decisions where justification is required.

Etymology

The word is native Swedish, with the adjective skälig and its adverbial form skäligt. The exact origins are not entirely clear, but the term is traditionally linked to the concept of reason or justification and shares cognates with related Nordic forms in denoting fairness or propriety.

See also: rimlig, orimlig, rättvis.