jævlig
What does “jævlig” mean in English?
It means awful or extremely, often used to emphasize something negative. Interestingly, it can also intensify positive descriptions.
Literally “devilish”
You might encounter it like you would 'fucking' in English, used to amplify an adjective or adverb. It's common in casual speech in Norway and can be directed at people or situations.
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Related Norwegian words
forjævlig
3/5 · VulgarIt means awful or extremely unpleasant. It's a strong negative evaluation of something.
faen
3/5 · VulgarIt's an exclamation similar to damn or fuck, often used to express frustration or anger.
forbanna
3/5 · VulgarIt means angry or cursed, often used to intensify a statement.
fy faen
3/5 · VulgarThis is a strong expression used to convey disgust, surprise, or even admiration, depending on the context. It's versatile in its emotional impact.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW (CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.