déclenchés

Déclenchés is the masculine plural form of the past participle déclenché, used as an adjective or in compound phrases to describe something that has been activated or started. It applies to mechanisms, events or processes that have been set in motion, for example des alarmes déclenchées or un processus déclenché. As an adjective, déclenché agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: déclenché, déclenchée, déclenchés, déclenchées.

Etymology and grammar: déclencher means to trigger, initiate or set off. The prefix dé- signals a starting action or activation in contexts such as a system or device. The noun form déclenchement designates the act of triggering, while déclencheur refers to a trigger. The form déclenchés functions primarily as a past participle used descriptively and, less commonly, as a noun in specialized or informal usage.

Usage: In technical or mechanical language, déclenchés describes components or states that have become active: e.g., "les systèmes déclenchés par le capteur." In everyday French, one would more often use déclenchement or déclencheur. In contemporary slang or online discourse, déclenché describes someone who is emotionally provoked or “triggered,” a sense that has permeated colloquial usage; déclenchés may appear when referring to a group of people described as being triggered.

See also: déclenchement, déclencheur, déclencher.