äcklig

Swedish

Etymology

From äckel +‎ -lig. Cognate with German eklig and Norwegian Nynorsk ekkel.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /²ɛklɪ(ɡ)/

Adjective

äcklig (comparative äckligare, superlative äckligast)

disgusting (evoking a queasy feeling of disgust, like something potentially contagious, sometimes more or less figuratively), (except not informal) gross
en äcklig toalett
a disgusting toilet ["a toilet that evokes a queasy feeling of disgust" – "disgusting" sounds a bit stronger/different, but is the best straightforward translation]
1. icky
  Jag tycker harkrankar är äckliga
  I think crane flies are disgusting/icky
2. (of food) yucky
  Antonym: god
  
  Olle tycker sparris är äckligt
  Olle thinks asparagus is disgusting/yucky

Usage notes

Äcklig is a good translation of disgusting when a queasy feeling is implied. In other cases, a word like vidrig, motbjudande, or hemsk is often better.
Can also be thought of as icky/yucky/gross with the tone of disgusting.

Declension

Inflection of **äcklig**
Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative¹
common singular	äcklig	äckligare	äckligast
neuter singular	äckligt	äckligare	äckligast
plural	äckliga	äckligare	äckligast
masculine plural²	äcklige	äckligare	äckligast

Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular³	äcklige	äckligare	äckligaste
all	äckliga	äckligare	äckligaste

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.

Related terms

äckel (“disgust”)
äckla (“to disgust”)

References