pålitlig

Pålitlig is a Swedish adjective meaning reliable, trustworthy, or dependable. It describes persons, institutions, data, or processes that consistently meet expectations and can be trusted to perform as promised.

Etymology: The term is formed as a compound of the prefix på- and litlig, an older Swedish word meaning proper or suitable. The combination conveys a sense of proven dependability through past performance.

Usage: On people, one speaks of en pålitlig vän or en pålitlig medarbetare. With data or information, it denotes consistency and credibility, as in en pålitlig källa eller en pålitlig rapport. In technology, a pålitligt system describes one that operates without unexpected failures. The nuance is of established reliability rather than mere likelihood. The adverbial form is pålitligt, as in systemet fungerar pålitligt.

Grammar: Pålitlig is an adjective that agrees with the noun it modifies. In indefinite singular form it is pålitlig; in definite singular it becomes den pålitliga (or det pålitliga for neuter nouns); in plural it becomes pålitliga; definite plural is de pålitliga. The adverbial form is pålitligt.

Related terms and alternatives: The noun form pålitlighet expresses reliability or trustworthiness as a quality. Synonyms or near-synonyms include trovärdighet for credibility and tillförlitlighet for dependability, while opålitlig or otillförlitlig serve as the commonly used antonyms.

See also: Pålitlighet, trovärdighet, tillförlitlighet.