privileged

1 of 2

adjective

priv·​i·​leged ˈpriv-lijd 

ˈpri-və-

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

privileged

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of privilege entry 2

Examples of privileged in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Under a national popular vote, these swing states’ residents would retain their electoral importance as individuals but Pennsylvania, for example, would lose much of its privileged position in presidential campaign calculations. — Anna Rahmanan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026

Support personnel, privileged access, telemetry and management-plane dependencies need be evaluated. — Karan Alang, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026

And voters in both parties want to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, concerned that lawmakers are using privileged information to enrich themselves. — Thomas Kahn, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026

Merz was the only woman allied with Arte Povera, a radical movement that privileged humble materials, non-commercial environments, and ephemeral installations. — Patricia Zohn, Air Mail, 31 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing privileged

• be privileged

Rhymes for privileged

• underprivileged
• unprivileged

Kids Definition

privileged

adjective

priv·​i·​leged

ˈpriv(-ə)-lijd

: having more things and a better chance in life than most people

privileged classes of society

Legal Definition

privileged

adjective

priv·​i·​leged

: not subject to the usual rules or penalties because of some special circumstance

especially : not subject to disclosure especially in an adjudicative proceeding