lebenden

Lebenden is a German noun that denotes the people who are alive. It is the plural form of der Lebende and is used to refer collectively to the living, as opposed to die Toten (the dead). The term appears in religious, legal, and historical contexts, as well as in everyday language when distinguishing the living from the deceased. In idiomatic usage, phrases such as unter den Lebenden (among the living) or die Lebenden und die Toten (the living and the dead) are common.

Grammatical notes: Lebenden is a nominal, capitalized noun. The base form is der Lebende (singular, masculine). The plural nominative is die Lebenden. The genitive plural is der Lebenden, and the dative plural is den Lebenden. In female or mixed contexts, the plural still appears as die Lebenden, even though the feminine singular is die Lebende.

Usage examples: In historical writing, authors may contrast the Lebenden with the Toten to mark different groups in events such as wars or disasters. In religious liturgy, prayers may invoke God as the God of the Lebenden or reference the fate of the Lebenden in eschatological contexts. The term functions as a neutral, collective label for a demographic group defined by life status rather than by characteristics or nationality.