privileged

adjective

priv·i·leged | \ ˈpriv-lijd

, ˈpri-və-\

Definition of privileged

1 : having or enjoying one or more privileges privileged classes

2 : not subject to the usual rules or penalties because of some special circumstance especially : not subject to disclosure in a court of law a privileged communication

Examples of privileged in a Sentence

He comes from a very privileged background. The town attracts people who are wealthy and privileged. The President's adviser has a privileged position of trust. She had privileged access to the files. Only the privileged few can become members of the club.

Recent Examples on the Web

Levine said the sheriff's office has expressed concern that attorneys could use mobile phones to patch together three-way calls and connect inmates to people who aren't entitled to privileged communications. — Carlie Kollath Wells, NOLA.com, "2 men killed in Desire area shooting, New Orleans police say," 23 May 2018 Paxton’s office agreed that some records could be withheld as privileged attorney-client communication and some could be kept secret under an exception for internal policymaking communications. — Peggy Fikac, San Antonio Express-News, "Human services agency sues to keep secret documents related to alleged multimillion-dollar debt," 23 Jan. 2018 Because the resolution is designated as privileged, under Senate rules it must be voted on. — Natalie Andrews And Andrew Duehren, WSJ, "Congress to Weigh Measures to Nullify Trump’s Emergency Order," 21 Feb. 2019 Columnists from across the progressive firmament agreed that the white, privileged former... — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Manafort Destiny," 13 Mar. 2019 Human rights violations against Black and Brown people inherently work to uphold structures that further oppress us for the benefit of the privileged. — Eva Lewis, Teen Vogue, "I Traveled to Paris to Advocate for Human Rights in Chicago's South Side," 27 Nov. 2018 Such underground flows of knowledge from more- to less-privileged universities are not new. — Joe Karaganis, Washington Post, "Russia is building a new Napster — but for academic research," 13 July 2018 Never mind that this involved the imprisonment and rape of less privileged women and the theft of their offspring. — Jennifer Vineyard, New York Times, "‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Yvonne Strahovski on the Harrowing Finale and Serena’s Murky Future," 11 July 2018 The reason there can’t be true accountability for individuals like Kevin Hart is because the privileged individuals mostly addressing him aren’t the ones directly impacted — the black LGBTQ community. — Ernest Owens, Vox, "What it’s like to be black and gay watching the Kevin Hart controversy unfold.," 7 Jan. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near privileged

privies in law

privies in representation

privileged familiarity

Statistics for privileged

Last Updated

15 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for privileged

The first known use of privileged was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for privileged

privileged

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of privileged

sometimes disapproving : having special rights or advantages that most people do not have

law : known only by the people who need to know

See the full definition for privileged in the English Language Learners Dictionary

privileged

adjective

priv·i·leged | \ ˈpri-və-lijd\

Kids Definition of privileged

: having more things and a better chance in life than most people He comes from a privileged family.

privileged

adjective

priv·i·leged

Legal Definition of privileged

: not subject to the usual rules or penalties because of some special circumstance especially : not subject to disclosure especially in an adjudicative proceeding