Swedish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From German von oben herab.

Adjective

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von oben (comparative mer von oben, superlative mest von oben)

  1. haughty, condescending, full of oneself
    Han är ju rätt schysst och så, men lite von oben
    He's pretty nice and all, but a bit full of himself
    • 2020 November 12, Henrik von Görtz, “Okänsligt omvårdnadsbeslut [Insensitive care decision]”, in Ystads Allehanda:
      Beslutet om omorganisation är ett beslut ”von oben” utan att vård och omsorg har tagit hänsyn till vårdtagarnas önskemål.
      The decision regarding reorganization is a "top-down" decision without considering the wishes of the care recipients.

Usage notes

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  • Sometimes written "von Oben," with von taken as a nobiliary particle (it's intuitively obvious to native Swedish speakers that oben means above).

References

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