hemsk

Swedish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Swedish hemsker (“foolish”), derived from hem (“home”). The original meaning was "who has only stayed at home" or "who has not been out in the world", thus "stupid" or "easily terrified". Cognate of Icelandic heimskur. Compare English homely.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

hemsk (comparative hemskare, superlative hemskast)

1. ghastly, frightful, terrible

   Pojken tyckte att filmen var hemsk.

   The boy thought the film was terrible (frightful)

   Det är hemskt att se djur lida

   It's horrible to see animals suffer

   Planen är hemsk

   The plan is terrible (evil)

Declension

Inflection of hemsk

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	hemsk	hemskare	hemskast
neuter singular	hemskt	hemskare	hemskast
plural	hemska	hemskare	hemskast
masculine plural2	hemske	hemskare	hemskast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	hemske	hemskare	hemskaste
all	hemska	hemskare	hemskaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Synonyms

• fasansfull
• fruktansvärd
• förfärlig
• förskräcklig
• otäck

Related terms

• hemskhet

Further reading

• hemsk in Svensk ordbok.
• hemsk in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)