dödliga

Dödliga is a Swedish adjective meaning deadly or lethal, used to describe something that can cause death. The base form is dödlig, and dödliga is the form that appears before plural nouns, as in dödliga gaser or dödliga risker. The neuter singular form is dödligt, as in ett dödligt gift. In definite form the plural can appear as de dödliga varelserna. The term is common in safety, medical, toxicology, and legal contexts to express the potential to cause death.

Usage and nuance: dödliga emphasizes the fatal or life-threatening aspect of a subject, rather than merely being dangerous. It is frequently found in technical writing, hazard descriptions, and public health communications, where precise language about lethality is important. In literary or journalistic contexts, it can be used metaphorically to heighten the sense of extreme danger, though the literal sense remains primary in technical usage.

Etymology: the word derives from död, meaning dead, combined with the suffix -lig, which forms adjectives meaning "like" or "able to cause." The construction is parallel to related adjectives in Swedish that describe qualities associated with death or danger.

See also: dödlig, farlig, giftig, lethality.

Overall, dödliga functions as a standard Swedish term for describing things capable of causing death, especially in formal or technical discourse.