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

The mayor’s office declined to release the memo, calling it a privileged document. — oregonlive, "Portland police labor contract: Community coalition calls for public input, changes," 11 Sep. 2019 Ethicists warn that graphic images of affliction reinforce inequalities between privileged donors and relief recipients, leaving in place the structural disparities that cause and perpetuate global suffering. — Heather D. Curtis, The Conversation, "How American Christian media promoted charity abroad," 3 Sep. 2019 Beyond the short safety alert, the agency hasn’t provided additional information, presumably because the patients were part of a clinical trial, which meant the information was privileged. — Linda Carroll, NBC News, "There were no guidelines for fecal transplants. Then, a patient died.," 25 Aug. 2019 Sharon was a luminous beauty, kind, gentle and a wonderful friend to all who were privileged to know her. — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "Everything You Need To Know About Sharon Tate's Life — Not Death," 25 July 2019 The group was fascinated to learn more about the history of Chanel haute couture and were privileged to be given a preview of Ms. Viard’s first collection. — Jasmine Contomichalos, Vogue, "Inside The Vogue100's Whirlwind Couture Week Tour," 9 July 2019 Once the tool found its target misconfiguration, Thompson allegedly exploited it to extract privileged account credentials for victim databases and other web applications. — Wired, "Everything We Know About the Capital One Hacking Case So Far," 29 Aug. 2019 The risk is ceding those states — and any shot at the Democratic nomination — by spurning voters accustomed to the lavish attention that comes with their privileged spot on the political calendar. — Los Angeles Times, "Beto O’Rourke has chucked the presidential playbook. Will it save his campaign?," 29 Aug. 2019 Their childhoods and family backgrounds, while both immensely privileged, are less alike. — Natasha Frost, Quartz, "No, Boris Johnson isn’t the UK’s Donald Trump," 25 July 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

30 Sep 2019

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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