gebildeter

Gebildeter is a German adjective meaning educated or cultured. It derives from the past participle of bilden (to form, to educate) and is used to describe a person or thing that has education or development. In German, gebildet can refer to formal schooling as well as broader cultural cultivation, and the word frequently appears in biographical or descriptive writing.

Grammatically, gebildeter is declined like a normal attributive adjective. In masculine singular, the form depends on the determiner:

- without determiner (strong declension): gebildeter Mann (nominative), gebildeten Mann (accusative)

- with indefinite article: ein gebildeter Mann (nominative), einen gebildeten Mann (accusative)

- with definite article: der gebildete Mann (nominative), den gebildeten Mann (accusative)

For feminine singular: eine gebildete Frau (nominative), eine gebildete Frau (accusative); definite: die gebildete Frau. For neuter singular: ein gebildetes Kind or das gebildete Kind. Plural: gebildete Menschen (nominal, no article), die gebildeten Menschen (with definite article). Predicative use after a linking verb typically uses the short form gebildet: Er ist gebildet.

Usage notes and nuances: gebildeter often implies more than formal schooling, suggesting cultivated manners and general cultural literacy. The related noun Bildung denotes education, formation, and self-cultivation as a broader concept, notably in German philosophy and culture (Bildung, Bildungsideal). Predicative use such as Er ist gebildet is common and natural in everyday language, while attributive forms align with standard adjective declension rules.

See also: Bildung, hochgebildet, gebildet (as a form of the adjective).