kukistettu

Kukistettu is a Finnish past participle and adjective derived from the verb kukistaa, meaning to topple, defeat or overthrow. It describes someone or something that has been toppled or defeated by others. In political journalism and historical writing, kukistettu commonly refers to a government, regime, leader or political party that has been removed from power through force, a coup, or a decisive electoral defeat. The term can also be used metaphorically for other organizations or institutions that have been decisively defeated or dissolved.

Formation and usage: The word is the passive past participle (-ttu/-tty) of kukistaa and is used attributively as kukistettu hallitus (the toppled government), kukistettu johtaja (the deposed leader), etc. Grammatically, kukistettu agrees with the noun in number and case. The predicate form is hallitus kukistettiin (the government was toppled/overthrown). The noun form is kukistettu, referring to the state of being toppled.

Nuances: Kukistettu carries a strong sense of finality and external action against the subject. It implies that an outside actor or process effected the overthrow, and it is typically used in political or historical contexts. It is somewhat more forceful than synonyms like syrjäytetty (deposed) or kaadettu (overthrown), depending on context.

See also: Kaataa, syrjäyttää, vallankumous, hallinnon muutos.