Gestraft

Gestraft is a German word that primarily functions as the past participle of the verb strafen (to punish). As an adjective it means punished, sanctioned, or punished in consequence. In everyday language, the more common verb for describing the act of punishing is bestrafen, whose past participle is bestraft. Gestraft appears mainly in formal, historical, or legal contexts and is less frequent in everyday speech.

Grammatically, gestraft is derived from the same root as strafen, but speakers typically use bestraft when referring to someone being punished in ordinary conversation. The form gestraft can also serve as a participial adjective, describing a noun as having undergone punishment in a past process. This usage is more characteristic of formal or archival writing, rather than casual dialogue.

Context and nuance are important. Gestraft is associated with the sense of an imposed penalty or disciplinary action and can appear in legal, administrative, or historical texts. In modern colloquial German, bestraft is the preferred choice for describing punishment carried out by authorities. Gestraft may still surface in older literature, literary narration, or phrases that emphasize the outcome of punishment.

See also: Strafrecht, Strafe, Bestrafung, Bestrafungssystem, German grammar on past participles.