ausgezeichneter

Ausgezeichneter is the masculine nominative singular form of the adjective ausgezeichnet, which is a German word meaning "excellent," "outstanding," or "distinguished." The adjective derives from the verb auszeichnen, originally meaning to score or grade from the scale of an examination, and later broadening to signify high quality or distinction in various contexts.

In contemporary usage, ausgezeichneter describes a person, object, or performance that has achieved a high level of merit. It can apply to fields such as education, business, the arts, or sports. Examples include: „Der ausgezeichneter Wissenschaftler erhielt eine renommierte Auszeichnung,“ and „Ihre ausgezeichneter Vortrag zog großes Interesse an.“

The word is inflected like other German adjectives, with endings that agree with the gender, case, and number of the noun it modifies. Thus, ausgezeichnete (feminine) and ausgezeichneter (masculine) are typical forms. In positive form, it is simply ausgezeichnet; the comparative would be ausgezeichneter, and the superlative ausgezeichneter könnte (though the superlative may also be expressed differently such as „außergewöhnlich“).

Ausgezeichneter is sometimes used nominally as a kind of epithet, and it frequently appears in award titles, such as „Ausgezeichneter Preis für Wissenschaft.“ The term carries a connotation of higher-than-average evaluation and is used seriously rather than colloquially.