entitlement

noun

en·​ti·​tle·​ment in-ˈtī-tᵊl-mənt 

en-

1

a

: the state or condition of being entitled : right

b

: a right to benefits specified especially by law or contract

2

: belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges

3

: a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group

also : funds supporting or distributed by such a program

Synonyms

• allocation
• allotment
• annuity
• appropriation
• grant
• subsidy
• subvention

Examples of entitlement in a Sentence

my entitlement to a refund

celebrities who have an arrogant sense of entitlement

entitlements such as medical aid for the elderly and poor

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite their differences, President Biden and Donald Trump hold similar populist-nationalist views on big issues such as trade protectionism and entitlements. —Ryan Streeter, National Review, 8 Apr. 2024

Early-twentieth-century Japan—fresh off the economic and military successes of the Meiji era—was consumed by nationalistic fervor and public feelings of entitlement to equal rank with the great powers of the era. —Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024

However, a disagreement over a long-standing fence line spirals into a hilarious war of taste, class, privilege and entitlement. —Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024

What the huckster cannot teach, however, is how to acquire a certain bulldozing charisma—a glossy armor of charm and entitlement, trailing a faint spritz of sociopathy, so relentless and inevitable that its possessor can only seem lightly amused by it. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024

The staff rebellion over Ms. McDaniel, after all, was not about her views on entitlement reform or health-care policy. —James Poniewozik, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024

Today, with almost 5 billion on social media, and ONE BILLION alone on LinkedIn, the numbers are not only mind-numbing but the aggregate sense of entitlement and lack of modesty stunning. —Davia Temin, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Trump broke with many core elements of Republican economic orthodoxy, promising to never cut entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, which reversed decades of Republican fiscal conservatism. —CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024

Among the Biden administration’s accomplishments that need to be highlighted include job creation, capping insulin prices and protecting entitlements, Bejarano said. —Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Legal Definition

entitlement

noun

en·​ti·​tle·​ment

1

: the state or condition of being entitled : claim

evidence of victim's entitlement to money seized

—National Law Journal

2

: a right to benefits that is granted especially by law or contract (as an insurance policy)

Note: Some courts have held that entitlements are a property interest and therefore subject to procedural due process under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution when denied by federal or state governments.

3

: a government program that provides benefits to members of a group that has a statutory entitlement

also : the benefits distributed by such a program