Villhöver is a word with two parts, vill and höver. Vill is the present form of the verb att vilja (“to want”). Höver isn’t a word in it’s own right, but here it comes from the verb att behöva (“to need”), the present form of which is behöver.

So, what does villhöver mean, then? As you may be able to figure out from the sentence above, villhöver is a slang term meaning “to want something so much that you feel like you need it”. It’s a relatively new word which appears to have come into use within the last ten years.

It is often used about something which you know you don’t really need, but you want anyway, such as a new item of clothing or a flashy gadget, and can be used in a tongue-in-cheek way to express the fact that you know, deep down, that the item in question is really an unnecessary luxury.

A rough English translation could be the phrase “it’s a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have”.

Example sentences:

“Jag villhöver den grillen till sommaren!” “Men vi köpte ju en i fjol…”

“I need that grill for the summer!” “But we just bought one last year…”

Apple är så bra på villhöva-produkter. Jag villhöver alltid den nya iPhone fast jag har ju redan en.

Apple are so good at “nice-to-have” products. I always want the new iPhone despite the fact I already have one.