sivuuttaa

Sivuuttaa is a Finnish verb that denotes moving something or someone to the side or disregarding them. It has both a concrete, physical sense (to push aside or bypass an obstacle) and a figurative sense (to ignore, overlook, or dismiss something as irrelevant). The action is usually transitive, with the thing being sidelined as the object of the verb.

In usage, sivuuttaa commonly appears in political, bureaucratic, and media contexts, where proposals, arguments, or actors are said to be sivuutettu (sidelined) or sivuuttaa (to sideline or overlook). Examples include: Hallituksen enemmistö sivuutti opposition ehdotuksen (The government majority sidestepped the opposition's proposal); Ehdotus sivuutettiin (The proposal was dismissed/overlooked). In a sports or competitive context, a player can sivuuttaa a vastustajan liikkeen by outmaneuvering it, though this sense is less formal and more colloquial.

Etymology and related forms: sivuuttaa derives from the noun sivu, meaning side, and conveys the idea of moving something to the side or treating it as peripheral. Related forms include sivuutus (the act of sidelining or overlooking) and sivuutettu (the passive participle meaning sidelined or overlooked). The term can carry a neutral to critical connotation, depending on context, and it is often contrasted with ohittaa (to bypass or pass by) and väistää (to avoid or detour).