gewählte

Gewählte is a German term derived from the verb wählen, meaning to choose or to elect. It can function as an adjective meaning “chosen” or “elected,” or as a noun when capitalized, referring to a person or group that has been elected. The form adapts to gender, number, and case.

As an attributive adjective, gewählte appears with feminine singular nouns as die gewählte Frau, die gewählte Politikerin, or with masculine and neuter forms as der gewählte Mann and das gewählte Kind. After definite articles, the endings follow the weak declension: der gewählte Mann, die gewählte Frau, das gewählte Kind; plural: die gewählten Männer, die gewählten Frauen, die gewählten Kinder. With indefinite articles, the endings change (eine gewählte Kandidatin, ein gewählter Kandidat, ein gewähltes Team).

As a noun, Gewählte can be nominalized and capitalized. In this use, der Gewählte (masculine) or die Gewählte (feminine) denotes “the elected one,” and die Gewählten refers to “the elected ones.” This noun form is common in political or legal contexts: Die Gewählten trafen sich zur Sitzung. It emphasizes the status of having been elected rather than the action of being elected.

Usage notes: gewählte is typically reserved for contexts where the outcome of an election or selection is being described. It is distinct from the participle gewählt (the participle form used in verbal tenses, e.g., er hat gewählt) and from other terms such as Auserwählte, which can carry different connotations of “the chosen one.” In everyday language, gewählte often appears in official or formal writing when referring to elected representatives or officials.