pliktig

Pliktig is a Swedish adjective meaning obligatory, mandatory, or required by law, regulation, or contract. It describes something that is not optional and must be complied with within a given framework. The term is commonly found in legal, administrative, and formal writing, where it marks duties, statuses, or conditions that apply to individuals or groups.

Etymology and related forms: Pliktig comes from the noun plikt, meaning duty or obligation. It is part of a family of Scandinavian cognates, with Norwegian using pliktig and Danish having a related form. All build on the same core sense of duty or obligation. In Swedish, pliktig is contrasted with terms like obligatorisk (more formal or policy-driven), nödvändig (necessary), and frivillig (voluntary).

Usage and nuance: Pliktig is used to indicate that a duty or requirement exists for someone. It is common in official or administrative contexts, such as rules, contracts, or public policy. The phrase plikt att gör a certain action (the obligation to do something) is a typical construction. The nuance is that pliktig emphasizes the personal or situational obligation, whereas obligatorisk focuses more on the formal or rule-based aspect of the requirement.

Contexts: It can describe obligations in taxation, healthcare, education, insurance, and other regulated areas. Examples in practice include pliktig försäkring (mandatory insurance) or pliktig deklaration (mandatory declaration). While similar to obligatorisk, pliktig often conveys a sense of duty tied to the individual or category affected by the rule.