confidential

adjective

ˌkän-fə-ˈden(t)-shəl How to pronounce confidential (audio)
Definition of confidentialnext
as in private
not known or meant to be known by the general populace someone leaked confidential government information to the press

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confidential Kimberly Sullivan did not appear at the hearing on Tuesday in Waterbury Superior Court where confidential records from DCF, Waterbury Public Schools and an unnamed treatment facility were turned over to the court after being subpoenaed by the state. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026 She was arrested for selling and transporting marijuana in 1993, and agreed to act as a confidential informant for Arizona law enforcement. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 In addition, Wrigley View Rooftop argues the Cubs have violated the terms of a confidentiality order issued by Coleman, who set parameters for the two sides to discuss which materials ought to be designated as confidential and sealed. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Individual companies receive confidential scorecards, while the public report combines their results. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for confidential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confidential
  1. private
  2. secret
  3. classified
  4. personal
  5. undisclosed
  6. esoteric
  7. intimate
Adjective
  • The Daily Express, which first reported the investigation, said the inquiries related to claims that women were trafficked to the king’s private estate in the Scottish Highlands.
    — Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
  • When the heavy hand of government borrowing reduces private investment, jobs are at stake.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of private
Adjective
  • Lisa meets her Other Mother and Other Father after wandering through a secret tunnel.
    — Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI’s agents coordinated their behavior in ingenious ways, including writing secret messages in a file system so that even when one AI colony was erased, a future colony could pick up the hack where the previous one left off.
    — Noah Giansiracusa, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of secret
Adjective
  • The statement claims that Sylvia failed three polygraph tests about leaking classified information.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Clues about classified material Included among the Epstein files is an eight-page timeline of the FBI's New York office's initial efforts last year to track down and deliver its voluminous files to the Justice Department's Washington headquarters.
    — Daniel Ruetenik, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of classified
Adjective
  • By tonight, conversation picks up again in a more personal way.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Thoughtful details like a yoga mat, a fresh jar of bath salts, and a book left in the bathroom make the stay feel more personal than most.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of personal
Adjective
  • The panel also questioned the accuracy of the government’s data, which was compiled by cross-checking portions of California’s voter rolls, purchased by an undisclosed party, against government immigration records.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Mas’ family sued, and FHP settled the case for an undisclosed sum earlier this year.
    — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of undisclosed
Adjective
  • Solid-state physics in its early days was just an esoteric exercise to satisfy curiosity.
    — Mattanjah de Vries, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Christie’s confidence that the canvas will hit its mark is based on a far more esoteric criterion, as Max Carter, the house’s global chair of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art, told Artnet News.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of esoteric
Adjective
  • The couple invited 54 of their closest friends and family members, keeping the celebrations intimate despite the grandeur of the setting.
    — Alexandra Macon, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Viewers are invited aboard the forest green train for an intimate look into the lives of those who reside and work along the route of the Bergen Line.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimate

Browse Nearby Words

confident
confidential
confidentiality
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Confidential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confidential. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All