utilisées

Utilisées is the feminine plural form of the past participle of the French verb utiliser, meaning “to use” or “to employ.” It can function as a past participle in compound tenses or as an adjective agreeing with a feminine plural noun. The base forms of the past participle are: utilisé (masc. sing.), utilisée (fem. sing.), utilisés (masc. plur.), utilisées (fem. plur.).

As a past participle with être, utilisée appears in passive constructions where the participle agrees with the subject: “Les données ont été utilisées.” As part of a compound tense with avoir, the agreement depends on the position of the direct object: “Les méthodes que nous avons utilisées” (l’objet direct précédant le verbe est féminin et pluriel, donc utilisée). In practice, utilisé or utilisées must reflect the gender and number of the noun they modify or refer to.

Common contexts for utilisées include academic and technical writing, where one describes data, methods, or sources that have been employed in a study or analysis. Examples: “Les données utilisées proviennent d’une enquête.” “Les méthodes utilisées dans l’étude comprennent des analyses statistiques et des contrôles expérimentaux.” The form utilisée is not a standalone noun; it is an inflected form of the verb used as a participle or adjective.

Related terms include utilisation (the noun “use”), utilisateur (user), and utiliser (to use). The word carries no inherent value judgment and simply conveys that something has been put to use.