Väärinkäyttämään

Väärinkäyttämään is the third infinitive active form of the Finnish verb väärinkäyttää, meaning to misuse or abuse. The basic meaning of the verb is to use something in a way that is improper, unauthorized, or harmful. The basic infinitive is väärinkäyttää, while the form väärinkäyttämään appears in more formal or complex constructions, often in written language, legal or policy texts, and academic prose.

Formation and usage notes: The third infinitive is created by adding the suffix -maan/-mään to the verb stem, yielding väärinkäyttämään. This form is used in contexts that express an action in a general or prospective sense, or in clauses where the action of misusing is the object of a larger verbal structure. In everyday speech, speakers more commonly use the basic infinitive or finite verb forms, but väärinkäyttämään remains standard in formal writing about misuse.

Contexts and collocations: Vääärinkäyttää is frequently used with objects such as power, information, or resources. Common collocations include väärinkäyttää valtaa (to misuse power) and väärinkäyttää tietoja (to misuse data). The concept also appears in discussions of ethics, governance, data protection, and corporate responsibility, where the consequences of misuse are examined and condemned.

Etymology: The term derives from väärä (wrong) + käyttää (to use), combining to express using something in a wrong or improper manner. Overall, väärinkäyttämään is a grammatically specific form that enriches Finnish with a precise, formal way to denote the act of misusing.