hänför

Hänför is a Swedish verb meaning to fill someone with awe, admiration, or delight, or to transport someone emotionally beyond ordinary experience. It is typically used of experiences, performances, or works of art that move a person or audience.

As a transitive verb, it takes a direct object: for example, Föreställningen hänför publiken. The past tense is hänförde, and the past participle is hänförd, used as an adjective in phrases such as en hänförd publik. The present participle is hänförande and can describe something that has the effect of enthralling or captivating.

In its nuance, hänför emphasizes a strong, often uplifting emotional or aesthetic response rather than mere admiration. It is commonly found in literary, critical, or ceremonial language and is considered relatively formal or elevated compared with everyday synonyms.

Compared with related terms, hänför conveys a sense of being emotionally transported or enraptured. Synonyms include förtrolla, fasciner, and imponera, each with its own shade: förtrolla implies magical enchantment, fasciner means to fascinate, and imponera denotes impressing or commanding respect.

Examples: Föreställningen hänförde hela teatersalen. Hon blev hänförd av månskenet. En hänförd publik gav stående ovationer.

See also: hänföra, hänförd, förtrolla, fasciner, imponera.