Quick Definition
ἀγαπητός, ή, όν Adj loved, beloved
Strong's Definition
from 25; beloved
KJV Usage: (dearly, well) beloved, dear
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
adjc. | -ή, -όν | ἀγαπάω
25.45 · Attitudes and Emotions · Love, Affection, Compassion
object of one’s affection, one who is loved, beloved, dear (derivative of ἀγαπάω[a] ‘to love,’ 25.43) pertaining to one who or that which is loved It is also possible to understand ἀγαπητός in MAT 12:18 as ‘the only beloved one’ (see 58.53), and the meaning may, in fact, be simply ‘only’ or ‘unique.’ This meaning has evidently arisen because of the association of ἀγαπητός with μονογενής ‘unique, only’ (58.52).
MAT 12:18 · MRK 12:6 · LUK 20:13 · ACT 15:25 · ROM 1:7 · ROM 11:28 · ROM 12:19 · ROM 16:5 · ROM 16:8 · ROM 16:9 · ROM 16:12 · 1CO 4:14 · 1CO 4:17 · 1CO 10:14 · 1CO 15:58 · 2CO 7:1 · 2CO 12:19 · EPH 5:1 · EPH 6:21 · PHP 2:12 · PHP 4:1 · PHP 4:1 · COL 1:7 · COL 4:7 · COL 4:9 · COL 4:14 · 1TH 2:8 · 1TI 6:2 · 2TI 1:2 · PHM 1:1 · PHM 1:16 · HEB 6:9 · JAS 1:16 · JAS 1:19 · JAS 2:5 · 1PE 2:11 · 1PE 4:12 · 2PE 3:1 · 2PE 3:8 · 2PE 3:14 · 2PE 3:15 · 2PE 3:17 · 1JN 2:7 · 1JN 3:2 · 1JN 3:21 · 1JN 4:1 · 1JN 4:7 · 1JN 4:11 · 3JN 1:1 · 3JN 1:2 · 3JN 1:5 · 3JN 1:11 · JUD 1:3 · JUD 1:17 · JUD 1:20
1 MAT 3:17 ἀγαπητός in this sense is typical of a term which shares significant components from two different semantic domains. In the context of MAT 3:17 the focus seems clearly to be upon the distinctive and unique elements of meaning, but it would be entirely wrong to rule out the supplementary component of being loved and cherished (see ἀγαπητός[a], 25.45).
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀγαπητός, τή, -dv, (ἀγαπάω), beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite; (opp. to ἐχθρός, Ro. xi. 28): 6 vids μου (τοῦ Θεοῦ) ὁ ἀγαπητός, of Jesus, the Messiah, Mt. 111. 17 "Ayap fhere WH mrg. take ὁ dy. absol., connecting it with what follows]; xii. 18; xvii. 5; Mk. i. 11; ix. 7; Lk. iii. 22; ix. 35 (where Lmrg. T Tr WH ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος) ; 2 Pet. i. 17, cf. Mk. xii. 6; Lk. xx. 13; [cf. Ascensio Isa. (ed. Dillmann) vii. 23 sq.; viii. 18, 25,ete.]. dyaπητοὶ Θεοῦ [W. 194 (182 sq.) ; B. 190 (165)] is applied to Christians as being reconciled to God and judged by him to be worthy of eternal life: Ro. i. 7, οἵ. xi. 28; 1 Th. i. 4; Col. iii. 12, (Sept., Ps. lix. (Ix.) 7; evii. (eviii.) 7; exxvi. (exxvii.) 2, ἀγαπητοί σου and αὐτοῦ, of pious Israelites). But Christians, bound together by mutual love, are ἀγαπητοί also to one another (Philem. 16; 1 Tim. vi. 2); hence they are dignified with this epithet very often in tender address, both indirect (Ro. xvi. 5, 8; Col. iv. 14; Eph. vi. 21, ete.) and direct (Ro. xii. 19; 1 Co. iv. 14; [Philem. 2 Rec.]; Heb. vi. 9. ΠΗ 1. 10.7.1 Pet. 1.11 2e beta. 15 [1 πὸ ἀπ GLTTr WH)],ete.). Generally foll. by the gen.; once by the dat. ἀγαπ. ἡμῖν, 1 Th. ii. 8 [yet ef. W. § 31, 2; B. 190 (165) ]. ἀγαπητὸς ἐν κυρίῳ beloved in the fellowship of Christ, equiv. to dear fellow-Christian, Ro. xvi. 8. [Not used in the Fourth Gospel or the Rey. In class. Grk. fr. Hom. Il. 6, 401 on; cf. Cope on Aristot. rhet. 1, 7, 41.] "Ayap [WH “Ay. (see their Intr. § 408)], ἡ, indecl., (in Joseph. ᾿Αγάρα, -ns), 13) (flight), Hagar, a bondmaid of Abraham, and by him the mother of Ishmael (Gen. xvi.): Gal. iv. 24, [25 L txt. T om. Tr br.]. Since the Arabians according to Paul (who had formerly dwelt among them, Gal. i. 17) called the rocky Mt. Sinai by a name similar in sound to 119 ( lee i. e. rock), the apostle in the passage referred“ to employs the name Hagar allegorically to denote the servile sense of fear with which the Mosaic economy imbued its subjects. [Cf. B. D. Am. ed. pp. 978, 2366 note; Bp. Lghtft.’s remarks appended to his Com. on Gal. cae
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀγαπητός agapētos 61x
beloved, dear; worthy of love
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀγαπητός, -ή, -όν
(< ἀγαπάω), [in LXX chiefly for יָתִיד, יָדִיד;]
beloved (v. M, Pr., 221); by God: of Christ, Mt 3:17; of men, Ro 1:7;
by Christians, of one another: I Co 4:14; freq. as form of address, I Co 10:14; opp. to ἐχθρός, Ro 11:28 (v. AR, Eph., 229; Cremer, 17; MM, VGT, s.v.).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀγαπητός. For the use of this characteristic NT designation in the Christian papyri, see for example the address of the muchdiscussed letter of Psenosiris P Grenf II. 73 (late iii/a.p.) (= Selections, p. 117), ᾿Απόλλωνι πρεσβυτέρῳ ἀγαπητῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐν K(upl)w χαίρειν. So P Lond 417} (c. Α.1.. 346) (ΞΞ 11. p. 299, Sevectéons, Ὁ. 123), P Heid 67 (iv/a.D.) (= Selections, p. 125) α΄. The word is also found in a horoscope of A.D. 20-50 addressed to a certain Tryphon—P Oxy II. 235°, Τρύφων ἀγᾳπετέ : he may of course have been a Jew— see on the fem. T'pvpatwa below.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀγαπητός (agapētos) — beloved. ἀγαπ-ητός, ή, όν, Doric dialect ἀγαπ-ᾱτός, ά, όν, that wherewith one must be content [Refs], hence of only children, μοῦνος ἐὼν ἀ.[NT+8th c.BC+]; ἀγαπητός· μονογενής, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
2. to be acquiesced in (as the least in a choice of evils), [Refs 5th c.BC+] —hence, ἀγαπητόν [ἐστι] one must be content, εἰ.., ἐάν.. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; with infinitive, [Refs]
II. of things, desirable, ἤθη[Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.2. of persons, beloved, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ[LXX]: in letters, as a term of address, [NT]
III. adverb -τῶς gladly, contentedly, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.2. just enough to content one, barely, scarcely, [Refs 5th c.BC+]