bearded
Americanadjective
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having a beard.
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having a hairlike growth or tuft, as certain wheats.
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having a barb, as a fishhook.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bearded
First recorded in 1350–1400, bearded is from the Middle English word beerdid. See beard, -ed 3
Explanation
Someone who's bearded has a beard. If your grandfather is often mistaken for Santa Claus because of his bushy white beard, you can describe him as bearded. Men with beards — whether they're trimmed short or worn long and full — are bearded. Women can be bearded as well, though it's less common, and so can Billy goats, with their tufted little beards. The adjective bearded is sometimes even used to describe plants, like the bearded iris, which grows a prominent bushy "beard" on its lower petals. Bearded comes from the noun beard, with its Germanic root, barthaz.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The site is home to bird species including bearded tit, avocet, redshank and lapwing.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
The new crop of bearded and mustachioed pols is just the beginning, predicts Trainor, the historian.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
The turn came in 2014, with the highly publicised victory of Austrian bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst, Jordan added.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
But Raúl Castro, who led the Cuban revolution with his bearded brother, is now a fragile nonagenarian.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
"Have you been getting enough sleep?" he asked, rubbing his bearded chin in puzzlement.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
