Gezielt

Gezielt is a German word formed as the past participle of zielen (to aim). It is used as an adjective and as an adverb to indicate that something is aimed at a specific target or pursued in a deliberately directed way. In English, it is commonly translated as targeted, aimed, or deliberately directed.

As an attributive or predicative adjective, gezielt describes nouns that are the object of intention: gezielte Angriffe (targeted attacks), gezielte Werbung (targeted advertising), gezielte Maßnahmen (targeted measures), gezielter Einsatz (targeted deployment). The form changes for gender, number, and case in the usual German adjective endings (eine gezielte Maßnahme, zwei gezielte Maßnahmen, gezielten Angriffen).

As an adverb or in fixed expressions, gezielt modifies the action: Er ging gezielt vor, wir gehen gezielt gegen das Problem vor, gezielt darauf hingewiesen. It can also appear in combinations like gezieltes Vorgehen or gezielter Einsatz in technical or professional contexts.

Etymology and related terms: from Ziel (goal) + -t participle suffix; related words include zielgerichtet (goal-directed), Zielgruppe (target group), and gezielt einsetzen (to deploy in a targeted way). The term is common in journalism, business, medicine (gezielte Therapien), and security discourse to emphasize specificity and intentionality.