classified

[ klas-uh-fahyd ]

adjective

1. arranged or distributed in classes or according to class:

   We plan to review all the classified specimens in the laboratory.

2. designating the part or parts of a publication that contain advertisements or lists arranged by category:

   The classified section of our little local newspaper is full of ads for garage sales and cleaning ladies.

3. (of information, a document, etc.)
   1. available only to authorized persons. Compare classification ( def 5 ).
   2. bearing the designation classified.
4. confidential or secret:

   The firm's promotional budget for next year is classified information.

5. identified as belonging to a specific group or category, as one to which benefits or restrictions apply:

   Classified buildings are eligible for state-funded restoration. The bank has a list of classified customers to whom it will not make large loans.

noun

1. classified ad ( def ).

classified

/ ˈklæsɪˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. arranged according to some system of classification
2. government (of information) not available to people outside a restricted group, esp for reasons of national security
3. (of information) closely concealed or secret
4. (of advertisements in newspapers, etc) arranged according to type
5. (of newspapers) containing sports results, esp football results
6. (of British roads) having a number in the national road system. If the number is preceded by an M the road is a motorway, if by an A it is a first-class road, and if by a B it is a secondary road

Other Words From

• non·classi·fied adjective
• super·classi·fied adjective
• well-classi·fied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of classified¹

First recorded in 1885–90; 1940–45 classified fordef 3; classify + -ed ²

Example Sentences

It’s in the newspaper that he comes across a classified ad, reading: “Wanted, Investigative Assistant, Male 75-85, Must have phone.”

From Los Angeles Times

About 10% of all births worldwide are classified as preterm, which occurs when a baby is born before 37 weeks gestation.

From Science Daily

While the law was written for spies gathering information for a foreign adversary, on its face it also would cover investigative journalism and the publication of information the government has deemed classified.

From New York Times

In a second step, the scientists combined the behaviour thus classified with the GPS data from the tags.

From Science Daily

He also wanted the RSF to be classified as "terrorists... because it wages a war of extermination against civilians".

From BBC

Related Words

• confidential
• restricted

More About Classified

What does classified mean?

Classified means categorized or labeled in some way.

Classified has several different meanings that all have to do with things being sorted in a certain way. It is commonly used to mean secret or confidential, as in that information is classified.

Example: The agency keeps a list of people who have been classified as security risks.

Where does classified come from?

Classified has been in use in English since at least the 1800s. It is the past tense of the verb classify, which means “to arrange by class or assign an identification to.”

Classified can be used as a past tense verb (as in The species was classified as endangered) or as an adjective describing things that have been arranged in such a way (as in Please store the classified samples before the ones that have not been labeled).

Classified listings in newspapers and on websites contain items sorted into categories, such as jobs and items for sale. The items are called classified ads and the section is sometimes called the classifieds.

Many governments use a classification system to label sensitive information, such as that related to national security or other military matters, to determine who can and cannot have access to it. Such information is classified into specific categories, such as restricted, confidential, secret, and top-secret. (We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a category called super double hush hush extra secret to the max.) For this reason, the word classified has been extended in popular use to mean “secret” or “confidential.” The first records of this sense of the word come from the 1940s (the ones we know about anyway).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to classified?

• classify (verb)
• classification (noun)
• nonclassified (adjective)
• superclassified (adjective)
• well-classified (adjective)

What are some synonyms for classified?

• categorized
• sorted
• secret
• top-secret
• confidential
• restricted
• private

What are some words that share a root or word element with classified? 

 

• class
• classic

What are some words that often get used in discussing classified?

 

• information
• category
• document
• military
• security
• clearance
• advertising

How is classified used in real life?

Classified means “categorized.” It is commonly used to mean “secret,” especially in the context of government information and documents.

The Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican have been classified as "endangered migratory species" by a UN body, paving the way for trans-boundary #conservation efforts.

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 20, 2020

Burr and Warner call arrest of former aide Jim Wolfe “troubling” and said they were notified about probe late last year. “While the charges do not appear to include anything related to the mishandling of classified information, the Committee takes this matter extremely seriously”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 8, 2018

As a reminder. The US is the only high income country (classified by the World Bank) that does not have paid maternity leave. Current list of countries without it: New Guinea, Suriname, a few South Pacific island nations and the United States.

— Katie D. McMillan, MPH (@KatieDMcMillan) September 30, 2019

 

 

Try using classified!

True or false? 

Classified always means “secret.”