Here is the full list of new Swedish words which defined a difficult 2022

Many of the words are connected to war, the climate crisis, and out-of-control inflation. 

“Thematically, you could probably describe it as something of a list of evils,” Anders Svensson, the editor, told Sweden’s TT newswire. “Vocabulary does not develop in a vacuum but in response to changes in society and we think that the new words list should in some way reflect the year gone by, like a chronicle in very short form.” 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provides words like kamikazedrönare (“kamikaze drone“), energikrig (“energy war”), and Putinpriser (“Putin prices”), and the climate crisis words like “avkarbonisering (“Decarbonisation”), klimatskadestånd (“compensation for damages from climate change”), and klimatbiljetter (“climate tickets”), which are subsidised tickets designed to make people use public transport more. 

The more lighthearted words include epadunk, literally “A-traktor barrel”, which describes the sort of music which booms from the speakers of A-tractors (known colloquially as EPAs), the cars fitted with tractor engines which can be driven by 16-year-olds in Sweden.

The full list

Here are all the new words, according to the language magazine, Språktidningen, and the Swedish Language Council. 

Accelerationism – extremist political strategy that uses violence and terror to bring about a supposedly predetermined societal collapse and then establish an ‘ideal’ society.

Agrivoltaisk: “agrivoltaic” – combining agriculture and solar power.

Autokratisering: “autocratisation” – process where democracy in a society is broken down to be replaced by an autocratic social system and a leader with unlimited power.

Avkarbonisering: “decarbonisation” – ending dependence on fossil fuels.

Barbiecore: aesthetics inspired by Barbie dolls.

Brösta: literally, “chest” – to take responsibility for, take on a difficult task.

Dödsdoula: death doula – a professional counsellor and support person at the end of life, like a midwife for death.

Edgelord: a provocateur who deliberately seeks attention and creates conflicts through controversial statements.  

Energifattigdom: “energy poverty” – inadequate access to electricity.

Energikrig: “energy war” – a war where the belligerents use blocking the energy supply as a pressure washer tactic.

Epadunk: music genre associated with A-traktorer (also known as epatraktorer), the vehicles with red triangles that are restricted to 30km/h and popular among young people.

Falsk majoritet: “false majority” – a majority in a subordinate body that is in the minority in a superior decision-making body.

Framefotboll: “frame football” – a game of football where the players use walkers or Zimmer frames to move on the field.

Ha dagen: “have the day” – hit top form at the right time, to enter a flow-state.

Hungersten: “hunger stone” – a stone that usually lies deep below the water surface, but which becomes visible during drought and extremely low water levels.

Kamikazedrönare: “Kamikaze drone” – unmanned aerial vehicle loaded with explosives.

Klickkemi: “click chemistry” – a method of constructing more complicated molecules by ‘clicking together’ molecular building blocks.

Klimatbiljett: “climate ticket” – subsidised season ticket for public transport with the aim of reducing car use and emissions. 

Klimatskadestånd: “climate compensation” – financial compensation to countries that are the worst hit by climate change.

Matfattigdom: “food poverty” – insufficient access to food.

Munkmodell: “monk model” – model of an economic system where the goal is to meet people’s needs within the limits of the planet. 

Njutningsäktenskap: “marriage of convenience” – a time-limited marriage for payment, under which the woman must give the man sexual pleasure in exchange for money or visa status.

Permakris: “permacrisis” – a series of crises with no end point in sight. 

Putinpris: “Putin price” – when prices become higher because of the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine.

Returmissbrukare: “returns addict” – a person who systematically orders goods from online stores with no intention of keeping them.

Selfiemuseum: “selfie museum” – a place with highly photogenic interior design that gives visitors the opportunity to take a striking self-portrait for social media.

SMR (småskalig modulär reaktor): “small-scale modular reactor” – a nuclear reactor that produces less electricity and has the potential to be mass-produced.

Smygflation: “stealth inflation” – cost increases that are greater than what is externally justified. 

Sporttvätt: “sports washing” – use of sports to improve or repair a damaged reputation.

Spökflyg: “ghost flight” – commercial aircraft flying without passengers with the purpose of keeping times of departures and landings at airports.

Urbexer: a person who devotes themselves to the exploration of abandoned buildings and locations.

Valförnekare: “election denier” – a person who, without concrete evidence, denies the legitimacy of a democratic political choice.

Vertiport: a vertical airport designed for drones and helicopters.

Virtuellt stängsel: “virtual fence” – a digitally programmed enclosure for animals.

Väntesorg: “anticipatory grief” (literally, “wait sorrow”): grief before the impending loss of a loved one.

Sources: Språktidningen and Språkrådet