Vastustamatta

Vastustamatta is a Finnish adverb meaning without opposition or unopposed. It is formed from the verb vastustaa (to oppose) with the negative suffix -mättä, indicating absence of opposition. The term is used to describe outcomes, decisions, or actions that proceed without anyone opposing them.

In practical use, vastustamatta appears most often in political, parliamentary, legal, and administrative contexts. Examples include phrases like esitys hyväksyttiin vastustamatta (the proposal was approved without opposition) or päätös tehtiin vastustamatta (the decision was made without opposition). Journalistic and formal prose may employ the word to convey that no one spoke against a measure or motion during a vote or discussion.

Nuance and limitations are important. Vastustamatta does not always imply full consensus or unanimity; it indicates that there was no active opposition recorded in the given context. Abstentions, non-participation, or procedural silence may still occur and are not necessarily captured by the word itself.

Etymologically, vastustamatta is built from vastustaa and the analytic negation suffix -mättä, making it a standard example of how Finnish uses grammatical negation to modify verbs into adverbial expressions of absence. Related concepts include vastustus (opposition) and vastustaminen (the act of opposing), as well as vastustamaton, an adjective meaning irresistible or unstoppable in other senses.