epäuskottavaa

Epäuskottava is a Finnish adjective meaning that something lacks credibility or plausibility. The form epäuskottavaa is the partitive singular used in many sentences, especially in negations or with verbs that take a partitive object. The corresponding noun is epäuskottavuus, referring to the quality or condition of being unconvincing.

Etymology and morphology: The word is formed with the negation prefix epä- added to uskottava, which means believable or credible. Like other Finnish adjectives, epäuskottava inflects according to number and case, and epäuskottavaa commonly appears in partitive constructions, while the nominative singular is epäuskottava.

Usage and nuance: Epäuskottavaa describes claims, explanations, stories, or actors that are difficult to believe or seem unreliable. It often carries a critical or skeptical tone, and is frequently used in journalism, political commentary, public debates, and everyday speech to signal insufficient evidence, logical flaws, or implausibility. It can refer to a wide range of subjects, from fictional plots to real-world assertions.

Examples:

- Tarinan tapahtumat vaikuttavat epäuskottavilta. (The events of the story seem implausible.)

- Väitteet ovat epäuskottavia, koska niissä ei ole tuoreita todisteita.

- Hän on epäuskottava todistaja. (He is an untrustworthy witness.)

Related terms include uskottava (credible) and epäuskottavuus (lack of credibility). The word is a common tool for expressing skepticism in Finnish discourse.