skärpt

Skärpt is a Swedish adjective meaning sharpened or intensified. It describes something that has been brought to a finer edge, such as a blade, but is more commonly used figuratively to indicate heightened mental acuity, vigilance, or tightened rules. The term derives from the verb skärpa, to sharpen or heighten in effect, and is often used to indicate an increase in precision, alertness, or strictness in regulation.

Grammatically, skärpt is the past participle form of skärpa and can function attributively or predicatively. It inflects for number and definiteness: ett skärpt sinne (neuter singular), en skärpt uppmärksamhet, skärpta regler (plural). In definite form, plural nouns appear as de skärpta reglerna, for example. The related adjective form skarp denotes the basic sense of sharp, while skärpt emphasizes that sharpness has been achieved or intensified.

Common usages include descriptions of tools or objects that have been sharpened (till exempel en skärpt kniv) and of abstract qualities or regulations that have been made more stringent or perceptive (till exempel skärpta regler, skärpta straff, skärpt uppmärksamhet). The phrase is often contrasted with smoother or duller contexts where sharpness is not emphasized.

See also:

- skarp, meaning sharp

- skärpa, the verb meaning to sharpen or heighten

- skärpta regler, skärpta straff as examples of the collocation in policy or law contexts