ótryggur

Ótryggur is an Icelandic adjective meaning insecure, unsafe, or unreliable. It describes situations, conditions, or entities that lack safety, stability, or trustworthiness. Depending on context, it can refer to physical danger, unstable systems, or questionable credibility of information or a person.

Etymology: The word is formed with the negating prefix ó- attached to tryggur, meaning reliable or secure. Tryggur itself comes from Old Norse tryggr, meaning faithful or secure; thus ótryggur literally conveys the sense of “not secure” or “not trustworthy.” In Icelandic, adjectives are inflected for gender and number, so the form appears as ótryggur in masculine singular, with corresponding forms for feminine, neuter, and plural.

Usage: Ótryggur is used in journalistic, technical, and everyday Icelandic to signal risk, instability, or unreliability. It can describe hazardous environments, insecure networks or infrastructure, or claims and sources deemed untrustworthy. It stands in contrast to tryggur (reliable, secure) and, in some contexts, öruggur (safe, certain).