upprätthållen

Upprätthållen is a Swedish term that functions as the past participle of the verb upprätthålla, meaning maintained or upheld. It is used both as a participle and as an adjective to describe something that has been kept in a particular state, such as order, standards, or conditions.

As an adjective, upprätthållen agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number. Common usages include phrases like "upprätthållen ordning" (order that is maintained) and "den upprätthållna normen" (the maintained norm). In passive constructions, the present passive is formed with "upprätthålls" (for example, "ordningen uppprätthålls" — the order is maintained).

Semantically, upprätthållen emphasizes continuity, stability, and compliance with rules or standards, rather than the creation of them. It is frequently found in formal or administrative contexts, such as policy documents, legal texts, or governance reports. Synonyms that can be used in different nuances include bibehållen (retained) or bevarad (preserved).

Etymology-wise, upprätthållen comes from the verb upprätthålla, a compound of the prefix up- and a root related to håll/a hålla, historically linked to holding up or maintaining. The word thus conveys the sense of having been kept in a desired state rather than newly established.