geliebt
/ɡəˈliːpt/
The German word for beloved is geliebt.
geliebt is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is much loved. You may also use the common intensifier phrase über alles geliebt to express that someone or something is loved above all else.
Meaning: much loved (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
geliebt is the past participle of the verb lieben, which means to love.
Which one should you use?
While geliebt is an adjective describing a state of being loved, you can use the noun Liebling to refer to a person as a darling or to denote a favorite person. Other related nouns include Liebe and Liebchen, which refer to someone who is loved.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, geliebt changes its ending depending on the noun it describes. For example, it takes the ending -e before a feminine noun in the nominative case, such as geliebte Mutter and it takes the ending -en before a masculine noun in the accusative case, such as geliebten Sohn.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡəˈliːpt/
Did you know?
- The verb lieben is used much more sparingly in German than 'to love' is in English, making the adjective geliebt carry significant emotional weight.
- The phrase über alles in über alles geliebt mirrors the phrasing of the national anthem, which describes a love for the fatherland 'above all'.
- Although Liebling means 'darling', it is also the standard term used in German to describe a 'favorite' item, such as Lieblingsbuch for a favorite book.
Examples in context
- Lebe wohl, geliebtes Land!Farewell, beloved country!This sentence shows how to use geliebt to address a beloved country.Tatoeba #11950147 by Naina, translation #11949876 by Fenrir
- Er verlor seinen geliebten Sohn.He lost his beloved son.This sentence demonstrates the use of geliebt with a masculine noun in the accusative case.Tatoeba #1682188 by Zaghawa, translation #293459 by Luornu
- Er verlor seinen über alles geliebten Sohn.He lost his most beloved son.This sentence shows how the phrase über alles geliebt intensifies the expression of love.Tatoeba #1855772 by Zaghawa, translation #1159280 by emmettricks
- Mein liebster Ehemann, du bist mein Fels in der Brandung.My beloved husband, you are my rock.
- Hey Schatz, möchtest du heute etwas Besonderes unternehmen?Hey darling, would you like to do something special today?
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Laura are looking at old photos in an album.
- LukasSchau mal, das ist mein geliebter alter Teddybär.Look, that is my beloved old teddy bear.
- LauraEr sieht wirklich sehr süß aus, Lukas.He looks really very cute, Lukas.
- LukasJa, ich habe ihn sehr gern.Yes, I like him very much.
- LauraDu bist sehr sentimental heute.You are very sentimental today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beloved” translations and entries geliebt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
