Befürchtetes

Befürchtetes is a term in German that can function as either a nominalized form of the verb befürchten or as an attributive adjective in its lowercase form befürchtetes. As a noun, it refers to something that is feared or anticipated with anxiety. As an adjective, it means “feared” and is used to describe a noun, typically in the neuter singular or plural forms.

As a noun, Befürchtetes is usually written as Befürchtetes or more commonly as das Befürchtete in contexts where the thing feared is being identified or discussed abstractly. It can appear in formal or literary language to denote a feared outcome, risk, or object. For example: Das Befürchtete trat ein. In this use, the word points to something negative that people are worried about.

As an attributive adjective, befürchtetes modifies a noun and agrees with it in gender, number, and case. Examples include befürchtetes Risiko (neuter singular), die befürchteten Folgen (feminine plural), or befürchtete Ergebnisse (neuter plural). This adjectival use is common in journalism, analysis, and reporting, where risks or anticipated results are described succinctly.

Etymology and related forms: befürchten comes from the verb meaning “to fear” or “to apprehend,” with beförchtung as a related noun form. Related terms include die Befürchtung (the fear or apprehension), plural Befürchtungen (fears or concerns), and the adjective befürchtet (feared, used in different but related contexts).

In summary, befürchtetes can denote the thing feared when used as a noun, or serve as the attributive adjective describing a feared thing, such as a risk or consequence, in German.