nedsatta

Nedsatta is a Swedish term used as an adjective in its past participle form, derived from the verb nedsätta, meaning to reduce or lower, and the noun nedsättning, meaning impairment or deterioration. In common usage, nedsatta describes things or people whose functioning, capacity, or condition has diminished. It appears in phrases such as nedsatta funktioner (reduced functions) or nedsatta kroppsfunktioner (impaired bodily functions). The form agrees with the noun it modifies, for example nedsatta funktioner (plural) or en nedsatt hörsel (singular).

The term is frequently encountered in medical, social, and technical contexts. It is often used to characterize conditions, abilities, or systems that operate at a lower level than typical. However, in contemporary Swedish there is a shift toward more person-centered language to refer to disability-related topics. Many speakers prefer expressions like personer med funktionsnedsättning (people with disabilities) rather than describing people as “nedsatta,” in order to avoid stigmatizing language. Despite this shift, nedsatta remains common in technical descriptions, clinical notes, and historical or legal texts where the language reflects earlier terminology.

In non-human contexts, nedsatta can describe diminished aspects of machines or processes, such as nedsatta prestanda in a system, where it conveys reduced performance rather than a human condition.

See also: nedsättning, funktionsnedsättning, disability, inclusive language.