confidential

American  

[kon-fi-den-shuhl] / ˌkɒn fɪˈdɛn ʃəl /

adjective

1. spoken, written, acted on, etc., in strict privacy or secrecy; secret.

   a confidential remark.

   Synonyms:

   private, restricted

2. indicating confidence or intimacy; imparting private matters.

   a confidential tone of voice.

   Synonyms:

   familiar, intimate

3. having another's trust or confidence; entrusted with secrets or private affairs.

   a confidential secretary.

   Synonyms:

   private, trustworthy

4. (of information, a document, etc.)

   1. bearing the classification confidential, usually being above restricted and below secret.

   2. limited to persons authorized to use information, documents, etc., so classified.

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confidential British  

/ ˌkɒnfɪˈdɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. spoken, written, or given in confidence; secret; private

2. entrusted with another's confidence or secret affairs

   a confidential secretary

3. suggestive of or denoting intimacy

   a confidential approach

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Related Words

See familiar.

Other Word Forms

• confidentiality noun
• confidentially adverb
• confidentialness noun
• nonconfidential adjective
• nonconfidentiality noun
• nonconfidentially adverb
• nonconfidentialness noun
• quasi-confidential adjective
• quasi-confidentially adverb

Etymology

Origin of confidential

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin confīdenti(a) confidence + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The exposed code related to the tool's internal architecture but does not contain confidential data from Claude, the underlying AI model by Anthropic.

From Barron's

By all accounts, Elon Musk’s rocket company is set to file, or has filed, confidential IPO documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission any day now.

From Barron's

Polymarket the same day updated its terms of use to prohibit trading on stolen confidential information or on illegal tips, or by people who can influence the outcome of an event.

From The Wall Street Journal

The group claimed Patel’s entire personal email was available for public download, allegedly including confidential and classified information.

From Salon

Earlier this week, Polymarket said it was beefing up its rules against insider trading, prohibiting users from trading on stolen confidential information or illegal tips.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• classified
• hush-hush
• intimate
• private