mjukaste

Mjukaste is a Swedish adjective form meaning the softest. It is the definite superlative of mjuk, the basic adjective meaning soft. In Swedish, adjectives are inflected for degree and definiteness, and the suffix -aste is used to form the definite superlative for many adjectives.

The form is used when the noun it modifies is definite, typically with a determiner such as den, det, eller de, or when the noun is possessive. Examples include: Den mjukaste filten är på soffan (The softest blanket is on the sofa) and Filten är den mjukaste av kuddarna (The blanket is the softest of the cushions). In everyday speech, mjukaste is commonly used in constructions that compare a group of items and denote the extreme in softness.

In terms of grammar, mjukaste agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes, just like other Swedish adjectives in their definite superlative form. For non-definite nouns or for general statements, speakers may use alternative expressions of degree, but the standard written and formal form for “the softest” remains mjukaste.

Related concepts include the base adjective mjuk (soft) and the comparative mjukare (softer). The superlative can also be expressed in other ways in Swedish, for example with phrases like den mest mjuka in contexts where the definite form is not used.

See also: mjuk, mjuka, mjukhet, Swedish grammar.