liebster

Liebster is a German adjective meaning dearest or beloved and is the superlative form of lieb, meaning dear. It can modify a noun, as in mein liebster Freund (my dearest friend). When used as a form of direct address, it appears in salutations such as Liebster Thomas or Liebste Anna, comparable to Dear Thomas or Dear Anna in English. The form varies with gender and case: liebster for masculine/neuter, liebste for feminine in many everyday contexts.

In addition to its adjectival use, liebster can function as a noun meaning “the darling” or “the beloved,” often found in informal speech or writing, especially in personal letters or messages.

Liebster Award refers to a blogging award/meme that originated within the German-speaking online community in the early 2010s and spread to a broader audience. The award is intended to recognize and promote smaller or newer blogs. Participants typically nominate other small blogs, answer a set of questions, and encourage further nominations. Because rules and thresholds have varied by community, the exact originator and criteria are not consistently documented.

Across contexts, liebster remains closely tied to affection and endearment, while its use in the Liebster Award reflects a separate, modern internet tradition. The term is related to other German words rooted in love and affection, such as Liebe (love) and Liebling (darling).