menneskelige

Menneskelige is the inflected plural form of the Norwegian adjective menneskelig and is used to describe attributes or phenomena relating to humans. In Norwegian, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and definiteness, so menneskelige appears before plural nouns or in other contexts requiring a plural form, for example menneskelige egenskaper or Det er menneskelige trekk.

The term derives from the noun menneske, meaning a human being, combined with the adjectival suffix -lig, which yields a meaning of “pertaining to humans” or “humane.” The formation is characteristic of Norwegian and related Scandinavian languages, reflecting a common morphological pattern where a noun plus a suffix yields an adjective.

Usage in Norwegian covers a wide range of contexts, including ethics, psychology, sociology, and everyday description. It often modifies plural nouns such as rettigheter (rights), behov (needs), and trekk (characteristics). The corresponding noun form is menneskelighet, which denotes humanity or humanness as a quality. In contrast, the singular adjective form menneskelig is used before singular nouns or in predicate position, as in menneskelig natur or Det er menneskelig å feile.

See also: menneske, the base noun for a human being; menneskelighet, the noun meaning humanity or humaneness; and common collocations such as menneskelige rettigheter (human rights) and menneskelige behov (human needs). Menneskelige is a technical, neutral descriptor used across academic, political, and everyday Norwegian discourse to convey qualities or aspects related to human beings.