saved

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of save.

   The goalkeeper saved two penalties in the last ten minutes.

   Every file was saved to the server before the power went out.

   Note

   Past tense and past participle share one spelling here, as with any regular verb: she saved the file; she has saved it; it was saved. The form carries every meaning of save. That includes rescuing, safeguarding, sparing someone trouble, redeeming a soul, stopping a shot at goal, and a relief pitcher protecting a teammate's win. Only the object and the surrounding context show which one is meant.

2. 2
   adjective

   Put aside and held in reserve for future use, not spent.

   Their saved earnings covered the deposit on the house.

   The old proverb holds that a penny saved is a penny earned.

   Similarreserved, banked, hoarded

   Oppositespent

3. 3
   adjective

   In Christianity, rescued from the consequences of sin.

   The revival meetings counted hundreds of people saved in a single week.

   Her aunt would not rest until the whole family was saved.

   Similarredeemed, converted, born-again, delivered

   Oppositedamned, lost, unsaved

   Note

   A believer's sorting word: a person is either saved or not, and it takes no degrees, so no one is more saved than anyone else. Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda shows the ranking at work, placing a servant below both "saved" and "questing" because she is merely Anglican. The adjective describes a soul's standing, unlike the sense of money kept back.

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