saklig

Saklig is an adjective used in Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish that describes content, statements, or discourse that is factual, objective, and relevant to the matter under discussion. The term conveys a sense of sobriety and detachment from personal feelings, emphasizing evidence, logic, and pertinence rather than emotion or rhetoric. The root sak means matter or affair, and -lig denotes a characteristic, so saklig can be read as "pertaining to the matter."

In practice, saklig communication aims to be evidence-based: claims are supported by data, sources, or established reasoning; language is precise and free of sensationalism. In journalism, education, and formal debate, saklighet is valued as a standard of credibility. It is commonly used in phrases such as saklig kritik (fact-based critique) or håll dig saklig (keep it factual/objective).

The opposite of saklig is subjektiv or känslomässig, referring to personal opinion or emotional bias. Related terms include faktabaserad (fact-based) and objektiv (objective), which overlap with saklig but are used in slightly different stylistic contexts.

In contemporary usage, saklig is a central ideal in academic writing and professional communication in Norwegian and Swedish-speaking communities, signaling that arguments should rest on evidence and relevance rather than personal stance.