Gefälschter

Gefälschter is a German adjective meaning forged or counterfeit. It describes something that is not genuine because it has been falsified, such as documents, money, artwork, or other goods. The term derives from fälschen (to falsify) and the past participle gefälscht, and it is used to express the quality of being not authentic.

Grammatically, gefälschter inflects like a normal adjective and agrees with the noun it modifies. In attributive position, examples include der gefälschte Pass, die gefälschte Unterschrift, das gefälschte Dokument; in plural: die gefälschten Pässe, die gefälschten Dokumente. In predicative constructions one would typically use gefälscht: Der Pass ist gefälscht. The form gefälschter appears as the masculine nominative singular attributive form; other genders and cases have corresponding forms, such as gefälschte Unterschrift and gefälschtes Zertifikat.

Usage and context: The term is common in law, journalism and consumer warnings about fraud or forgery. It coexists with the noun Fälschung (forgery) and the noun Fälscher (forger). Typical contexts include references to counterfeit banknotes, forged certificates, or altered documents. The word is part of everyday discourse on authenticity and compliance, and it appears in both formal reporting and everyday language.

See also: Fälschung, Fälscher. Examples: gefälschte Banknoten wurden beschlagnahmt; eine gefälschte Unterschrift war in dem Vertrag entdeckt worden. The term underscores the distinction between authentic and counterfeit items in German-language texts.