überwunden

Überwunden is the past participle of the German verb überwinden, meaning to overcome, surmount, or conquer. In standard usage it appears in tenses formed with haben, as in Ich habe die Prüfung überwunden, or in the pluperfect Ich hatte die Prüfung überwunden. It can also function adjectivally to describe something that has been overcome, for example eine überwundene Krise or eine überwundene Angst. In sentences with a copula, the phrase Die Krise ist überwunden is common, treating überwunden as a participial adjective.

Etymology and form: überwinden is built with the prefix über- meaning over and a root historically linked to turning or winding in Old and Middle High German. The form überwunden is the standard past participle, used both predicatively and attributively. The noun form das Überwinden denotes the act or process of overcoming and is capitalized, as is typical for German nouns.

Usage notes: überwunden is versatile across contexts, from physical obstacles to psychological or emotional challenges. It is common in reporting, personal statements, and formal writing to indicate that a barrier has been successfully dealt with. When used as an adjective, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (e.g., eine überwundene Hürde, überwundene Schwierigkeiten). The word does not carry a negative connotation by default; it simply marks completed overcoming.

See also: überwinden; Überwinden (the noun form Überwinden); Überwindung (the act of overcoming).