nytta

Nytta is a Swedish noun meaning usefulness, benefit, or utility. It denotes the practical value or advantage that something provides. In everyday language, nytta is used to express that something is helpful or serves a purpose, for example: "Det har stor nytta" (It has great use/benefit). The related adjective is nyttig, meaning useful; the verb form used for utilization is nyttja. The noun nytta can appear in phrases like "nyttan med" meaning the benefit of something, and its definite form is "nyttan."

In economics and decision theory, nytta is the term for utility—the satisfaction or preferences that a person derives from goods and services. It is used to model choices and welfare; in modern economic theory, nytta is usually treated as ordinal rather than cardinal, meaning only the order of preferences matters, not the exact numerical values. The concept is central to utilitarian ethics, where actions are judged by the amount of nytta or well-being they produce, though there are debates about measurement, distribution, and rights.

Etymology notes: the word derives from the same root as the adjective nyttig and is cognate with Danish nytte and Norwegian nytte, reflecting a shared Germanic heritage for “benefit” and “use.”