English Reference

Word

bearded

Phoneticsbeard·ed

US/ˈbɪɹdəd/

UK/bˈiədɪd/

Definition

adj. having a beard on the face. You use this to describe a man who has grown facial hair.

adj. having a beard; characterized by the growth of hair on the chin and cheeks. Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb.

Examples

“The bearded man smiled at us.”

“The bearded stranger asked for directions to the nearest train station.”

“In Renaissance portraits, the bearded philosopher often symbolizes wisdom and deep contemplation, contrasting with the clean-shaven youth.”

Examples

simple

“The bearded man smiled at us.”

contextual

“The bearded stranger asked for directions to the nearest train station.”

complex

“In Renaissance portraits, the bearded philosopher often symbolizes wisdom and deep contemplation, contrasting with the clean-shaven youth.”

Usage

Often used attributively before a noun (e.g., 'a bearded man').

Real-World Examples

“Instead, Holmes gives us “young Tennyson”, the wildly talented youth whose story is far more rich and strange than that of the bearded celebrity.”
The Guardian · 18 Sept 2026
“Initial reports described him as a bearded male, and a photo that appeared to be taken from security cameras showed a man wearing a backwards baseball cap.”
Toronto Sun · 16 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Middle English berded, either from Old English ġebearded or formed anew in Middle English; by surface analysis, beard + -ed. Compare Dutch bebaarde (“bearded”), Middle Low German bārt (“bearded”), archaic German gebartet (“bearded”).

From beard + -ed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Domains

BotanyHorticulture

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference