Suddighet

Suddighet is a Swedish noun describing a lack of clarity or sharpness. It is used to refer to situations where something is not clearly defined and can apply to visual perception, description, and linguistic expression. In everyday language, suddighet often signals vagueness or ambiguity.

In optics and imaging, suddighet denotes blur: an image whose edges are not well defined due to defocus, motion during capture, diffraction, or limited resolution. The perceptual consequence is reduced ability to distinguish fine details. In imaging science, sharpness is analyzed with models such as the point spread function and modulation transfer function, which describe how optical systems transmit detail. Suddighet can be intentional, for example in art and photography to guide attention or convey mood.

In language, suddighet describes imprecision or vagueness in meaning. A statement may be geographically, temporally, or quantitatively underspecified, leading to multiple interpretations. In philosophy and linguistics, suddighet is discussed as a property of predicates, terms, or utterances that do not have a determinate extension.

The term originates in Swedish and is used across disciplines concerned with perception, communication, and information processing. Related concepts include blurriness in visual media and vagueness in linguistic description.