vécue

Vécue is the feminine form of the past participle of vivre in French, used as an adjective meaning "experienced" or "lived." It agrees with feminine nouns, as in une expérience vécue (a lived experience) or une histoire vécue. The masculine form is vécu, and the corresponding plural forms are vécus (masculine) and vécues (feminine).

Beyond its adjectival use, the noun le vécu denotes the lived experience in general and is widely used in sociology, anthropology, and psychology to refer to subjective realities of individuals or groups, distinct from abstract theory or official accounts. The expression expérience vécue is common in academic writing to emphasize personal or memory-based aspects of events, identities, or social practices.

Usage notes: to describe something that has been experienced, you must match the gender of the noun (for example, une situation vécue; des faits vécus). The term is frequent in phrases such as le vécu des patients, l'expérience vécue des témoins, or des événements vécus.

Examples: Cette expérience vécue a profondément influencé sa carrière. Le vécu des patients est un élément central de l'étude.

Etymology: from vivre, via the Old French past participle vécu.

See also: le vécu, expérience, récit.