huonovointina

Huonovointina is a Finnish term used to describe someone who is in a state of poor health. It conveys that a person is not feeling well, either temporarily because of illness or more chronically due to a health condition. In everyday speech, speakers often use phrases like huonossa voinnissa or sairasta to express similar ideas, but huonovointina appears in medical writing, welfare documentation, and news reports to indicate an ill-health state.

Grammatically, huonovointina is the essive form derived from the adjective huonovointinen, itself built from huono “bad” and vointi “well-being.” The -na/-nä suffix marks a state of being, roughly corresponding to “as” or “in the state of” in Finnish. This makes huonovointina function as a predicative form in clauses such as “potilas on huonovointina.”

Usage and nuance: the term is used to describe people (and occasionally animals) who are temporarily or chronically in poor health. It signals a condition that affects daily functioning but does not necessarily imply a specific disease. Because it is somewhat formal, it is more common in written language, medical records, and official descriptions than in casual conversation.

Examples:

- Potilas on huonovointina.

- Hän oli huonovointina koko viikon.

- Olo oli huonovointina, ja hän vietti suurimman osan ajastaan sängyssä.

See also: huono kunto, huonossa voinnissa, sairautta.