obetydliga

Obetydliga is a Swedish adjective used to describe something that has little significance or importance. It refers to details, differences, or outcomes that are minor, negligible, or of limited impact within a given context. The term is common in neutral, formal language such as academic writing, reporting, or technical descriptions, where exact emphasis on significance is unnecessary or misleading.

Etymology: The form obetydlig derives from the negative prefix ob- plus betydlig, itself related to betydelse meaning significance. The construction parallels other negated adjectives in Swedish, yielding a word that literally means “not significant.”

Usage and examples: Obetydlig modifies nouns in singular or plural forms (en obetydlig skillnad; obetydliga detaljer). The adverbial form obetydligt is used to indicate that something is small or negligible in degree or effect, e.g., “skillnaden var obetydligt större.” In reporting and analysis, obetydliga differences are typically described as unlikely to affect outcomes.

Notes: While obetydlig is neutral, it can carry evaluative nuance depending on context, ranging from a factual observation to a mild judgment that the matter is not worth consideration. See also: betydlig, betydelse.