privileged

[ priv-uh-lijd, priv-lijd ]

adjective

1. belonging to a class that enjoys special privileges; favored:

   the privileged few.

2. entitled to or exercising a privilege.
3. restricted to a select group or individual:

   privileged information; a privileged position.

4. Law. (of utterances or communications)
   1. not rendering the person making them liable to prosecution for libel or slander, in view of the attendant circumstances.
   2. not requiring any testimony concerning them to be presented in court.
5. Navigation. (of a vessel) having the right of way.

privileged

/ ˈprɪvɪlɪdʒd /

adjective

1. enjoying or granted as a privilege or privileges
2. law
   1. not actionable as a libel or slander
   2. (of a communication, document, etc) that a witness cannot be compelled to divulge
3. nautical (of a vessel) having the right of way

Other Words From

• non·privi·leged adjective
• quasi-privi·leged adjective
• un·privi·leged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of privileged¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; privilege + -ed ³

Example Sentences

"We have to make a decision as a society as to whether we want to educate these young people in the same way as they do in mainstream and more privileged schools."

From BBC

But in a motion filed Monday, the music mogul’s lawyers contend that what investigators actually seized from his Metropolitan Detention Center cell in Brooklyn was “attorney-client privileged material,” including handwritten notes by Combs.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m privileged to be here,” Wright said of living in California.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Mathur says she feels privileged that she was able to get treatment.

From BBC

"I'm living in a fairly privileged situation, in some senses."

From BBC

Related Words

• honored
• powerful