innholdsmessig

innholdsmessig is a Norwegian adjective and, in some contexts, an adverb meaning relating to or concerning content, i.e., the substance of something rather than its form or presentation. The word is formed from innhold (content) and the suffix -messig, which yields terms meaning “in terms of” or “wise.” It is commonly used to distinguish content-related aspects from other dimensions such as form, style, or design.

In practice, innholdsmessig describes the substantive, factual, or thematic elements of a work, plan, or argument. It is frequently used in journalism, academic writing, policy analysis, and critical discourse to discuss what a thing contains or conveys rather than how it is presented. The phrase can modify nouns (innholdsmessig vurdering, innholdsmessig kvalitet, innholdsmessig dybde) or appear in fixed adverbial form as innholdsmessig sett, meaning “in terms of content.”

Usage notes and examples:

- "Rapporten gir en innholdsmessig vurdering av prosjektets mål."

- "Filmen har god innholdsmessig dybde, men svak regi."

- "Inntrykkene var innholdsmessig sett positive."

Relation to other terms: innholdsmessig is part of a broader set of -messig compounds (for eksempel formmessig, tidsmessig, utviklingsmessig) that label aspects in relation to a particular dimension. While widely understood, some contexts may opt for more specific alternativer such as substansielt eller innholdrelatert to convey nuance more precisely.