Gewünschter

Gewünschter is a German attributive adjective form derived from the verb wünschen (to wish). It denotes something that is desired or wished-for. In ordinary use, it accompanies a noun and agrees in gender, number, and case with that noun when the definite article or a determiner is present (or when the adjective is declined in the weak inflection). For example: der gewünschte Termin (the desired appointment), die gewünschte Lösung (the desired solution), das gewünschte Ergebnis (the desired result).

Declension and forms follow standard German adjective endings. In the masculine nominative with a definite article, the form is desired: der gewünschte Mann. Feminine nominative: die gewünschte Frau. Neuter nominative: das gewünschte Kind. Plural nominative: die gewünschten Tage. Other cases shift endings accordingly: dem gewünschten Mann, des gewünschten Mannes, die gewünschten Ergebnisse, etc. The base stem is gewünsch-, with the -t from the past participle appearing in the textbook attributive form, and endings added per gender and case.

Gewünschter can also appear as a nominalized form, though less common: der Gewünschte, referring to a person or option that is preferred or sought after in a given context (roughly “the desired one”). In practice, more common synonyms include erwünscht or beabsichtigt, depending on nuance.

Etymology traces back to the verb wünschen, linked to the noun Wunsch (wish). The adjective form gewünscht/gewünsch- expresses the state of being desired, rather than the act of wishing itself. Overall, gewünscht and gewünschter are central in describing preferences, needs, or terms that have been selected as preferable.