privilege

noun priv·i·lege \ ˈpriv-lij , ˈpri-və- \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Definition of privilege

: a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor : prerogative; especially : such a right or immunity attached specifically to a position or an office

See privilege defined for English-language learners

See privilege defined for kids

Examples of privilege in a Sentence

It is evolving into an elite institution, open chiefly to the well-educated few. In short, marriage is becoming yet another form of privilege. —Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Commonweal, 2 Dec. 2005
The oldest of the students, she had become a confidante of Fern's and she alone was allowed to call her by her first name. It was not a privilege the others coveted. —Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003
But the two were grown in the same petri dish of power, prep school and privilege. —Howard Fineman, Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2000
Good health care should be a right and not a privilege.
We had the privilege of being invited to the party.
I had the privilege of knowing your grandfather.
He lived a life of wealth and privilege.

Recent Examples of privilege from the Web

But inmates are given some privacy to write to their lawyers and receive mail from them because of the attorney-client privilege.

— ian duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Prosecutors seek access to Capital Gazette shooting suspect's jail mail; his lawyer says that violates his rights," 12 July 2018
The Supreme Court rejected the argument 6-3, holding that attorney-client privilege didn’t expire upon the client’s death.

— WSJ, "Timeline: Brett Kavanaugh’s Rise to Supreme Court Nominee," 10 July 2018
Attorney-client privilege is a bedrock principle of U.S. legal practice that says a lawyer must keep confidential what they are told by their clients.

— spencer s. hsu, Washington Post, "Paul Manafort asks U.S. judge to bar evidence at trial from his former lobbying disclosure attorney," 10 July 2018
The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to reject Kavanaugh’s position, citing attorney-client privilege.

— michael kranish and ann e. marimow, BostonGlobe.com, "From Clinton to Trump: How Brett Kavanaugh navigated through some of Washington’s biggest scandals," 10 July 2018
The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to reject Kavanaugh’s position, citing attorney-client privilege.

— ann e. marimow, The Seattle Times, "From Clinton to Trump: How Kavanaugh navigated through some of Washington’s biggest scandals," 9 July 2018
Berry had argued that the date was attorney-client privilege information.

— stephen deere, ajc, "New Atlanta city attorney Nina Hickson refused to withhold records," 5 July 2018
Mitchell declined to provide documentation or analysis, citing attorney-client privilege.

— kellen browning, sacbee, "Could West Sacramento be forced to pay up if the river floods? Mayor and residents disagree," 18 June 2018
Although Kurt Berryman, the group’s director of legislative affairs, is an attorney, that does not make the dealer group’s records subject to attorney-client privilege, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ellen Carmody said in an 11-page opinion.

— paul egan, Detroit Free Press, "Judge: Tesla can view records lobbyist wanted kept secret," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'privilege.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of privilege

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin privilegium law for or against a private person, from privus private + leg-, lex law

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

privilege Synonyms

privilege

verb

Definition of privilege

privileged; privileging

transitive verb

1 : to grant a privilege to

2 : to accord a higher value or superior position to

privilege one mode of discourse over another

See privilege defined for English-language learners

Examples of privilege in a Sentence

The new tax laws unfairly privilege the rich.
only professionals who meet the education and experience requirements set by law are privileged to use the title “interior designer” in Oklahoma

Recent Examples of privilege from the Web

As a matter of practice, the school district does not comment publicly on information involving students or staff that is considered to be privileged.

— jenice armstrong, Philly.com, "Delaware County middle schooler caught in Twisted Tea debacle was treated too harshly | Jenice Armstrong," 9 May 2018
Expressions of opinion, as opposed to assertions of fact, are privileged, and generally cannot be defamatory.

— NBC News, "High hurdles for Stormy Daniels' defamation suit against Trump," 1 May 2018
Descriptions of work on legal invoices were vague and the city often heavily redacted them, claiming the information was privileged, before providing them to the AJC.

— stephen deere, ajc, "Atlanta’s legal bills related to corruption probe top $7.5M, AJC finds," 28 June 2018
Historically, such interpreters filter every verse through a lens that privileges acquisition of assets and authority over altruism and our own comfort over compassion.

— jonathan l. walton, Time, "Why Authoritarians Love to Quote This Bible Passage," 22 June 2018
Only 162 of the first 300,000 cases Jones reviewed could be covered by attorney-client privilege, and only three items that Cohen or the Trump organization had designated as privileged were removed.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "Trump’s Personal Fixer Michael Cohen’s Lawyers Have Bailed and He’s Expected to Sing Like 1986 El DeBarge," 13 June 2018
If the lawyer is acting on his own—for the client’s benefit but without the client’s authorization—evidence of the lawyer’s conduct would not be privileged, although evidence of the client’s statements would remain so.

— michael b. mukasey, WSJ, "Trump, Cohen and Attorney-Client Privilege," 17 Apr. 2018
Still, the Garland debacle is a testament to the perils of privileging norms and moderation over substance and base mobilization.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "In Hindsight, Democrats Really Mishandled That Merrick Garland Thing," 26 June 2018
About Eve and Sunset Boulevard) that discipline women for privileging their ambitions and satisfactions, Nadel points out, are women who do, indeed, sing in the rain and embrace the centrality of work.

— glenn c. altschuler, Philly.com, "Alan Nadel's 'Demographic Angst': The dark anxieties behind 1950s films," 15 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of privilege

see ¹privilege

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

privilege Synonyms

Synonyms

authorize, entitle, qualify;

Antonyms

disqualify;

Near Antonyms

disable, disempower, disenfranchise;

decertify;

disallow, forbid, proscribe;

delegitimize, invalidate, nullify;

approve, endorse (also indorse);

allow, let, permit;

accredit, certificate, certify, ratify;

legitimize, sanction, validate, warrant;

PRIVILEGE Defined for English Language Learners

privilege

noun

Definition of privilege for English Language Learners

: a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others
: a special opportunity to do something that makes you proud
: the advantage that wealthy and powerful people have over other people in a society

privilege

verb

Definition of privilege for English Language Learners

: to give an advantage that others do not have to (someone or something)

PRIVILEGE Defined for Kids

privilege

noun priv·i·lege \ ˈpri-və-lij \

Definition of privilege for Students

1 : a right or liberty granted as a favor or benefit especially to some and not others

2 : an opportunity that is special and pleasant

I had the privilege of meeting the president.

Law Dictionary

privilege

noun priv·i·lege

legal Definition of privilege

1 : a right, license, or exemption from duty or liability granted as a special benefit, advantage, or favor: as

a : an exemption from liability where an action is deemed to be justifiable (as in the case of self-defense) or because of the requirements of a position or office; also : the affirmative defense that an action is privileged — compare excuse

— absolute privilege

: a privilege that exempts a person from liability especially for defamation regardless of intent or motive; specifically : a privilege that exempts high public officials (as legislators) from liability for statements made while acting in their official capacity without regard to intent or malice

— qualified privilege

: a privilege especially in the law of defamation that may be defeated especially by a showing of actual malice — called also conditional privilege

b : an exemption from a requirement to disclose information (as for trial) that is granted because of a relationship or position that demands confidentiality

the attorney-client privilege

the doctor-patient privilege

the marital privilege

the priest-penitent privilege

— see also confidential communication

— deliberative process privilege

: a privilege exempting the government from disclosure (as in discovery) of government agency materials containing opinions, recommendations, and other communications that are part of the decision-making process within the agency

— executive privilege

: a privilege exempting the executive branch of government from disclosing communications if such disclosure would adversely affect the functions and decision-making process of that branch — see also United States v. Nixon

Note: Executive privilege is based on the separation of powers doctrine. In United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court held that this privilege is not absolute and that without a claim of a need to protect military, diplomatic, or national security secrets, the need for evidence in a criminal trial will outweigh a general assertion of executive privilege.

— informant's privilege

: the privilege of the government to withhold the identity of an informant who has provided evidence for a criminal trial — called also informer's privilege

— journalist's privilege

: reporter's privilege in this entry

— privilege against self-incrimination

: a privilege under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protecting a person from compulsion to make self-incriminating statements

— reporter's privilege

: a privilege protecting a reporter from compulsion to reveal information acquired in the course of gathering news — called also journalist's privilege

c : something specially permitted or granted as a matter of discretion that may be limited or taken away

right to…mooring permit is not necessarily created because discretionary state privilege was generously granted in [the] past
—National Law Journal

— compare right

d in the civil law of Louisiana : a right of a creditor conferred by the nature of a debt to have priority over the debtor's other creditors

2 : any of various fundamental or specially sacred rights considered as particularly guaranteed to all persons by a constitution and especially by the privileges and immunities clause of the U.S. Constitution