försumbart

Försumbart is a Swedish adjective meaning negligible or of little importance. It is used to describe quantities, effects, differences, or phenomena that are small enough to be considered unworthy of attention in a given context. The term is common in formal, scientific, legal, and academic language, where it helps delimit what can be ignored in analysis or argument. For example: “Effekten var försumbart jämfört med huvudresultatet,” or “Det finns en försumbart skillnad mellan de två metoderna.”

Etymology and usage notes: The word is formed with the prefix för- and a root sumbart, an archaic or outdated form. The exact origin is uncertain, and etymological explanations vary. In contemporary Swedish, försumbart is predominantly used as an attributive adjective before a noun, as in “en försumbart summa” or “försumbart liten skillnad,” and can also appear predicatively in constructions like “skillnaden var försumbart.” It is typically reserved for formal or technical prose and is less common in everyday speech.

Related terms: Obetydlig, insignifikant, trivial, and marginal are close in meaning and are used in similar contexts to convey small or negligible significance. In translation, försumbart corresponds to English “negligible,” “insignificant,” or “trivial.”

See also: Svenska Akademiens ordlista entries and Swedish style guides for formal writing. In scholarly and professional texts, försumbart is a standard descriptor when distinguishing substantial effects from trivial ones.