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

The actors will soon slip into their 1967 costumes as the impoverished Greasers and the privileged Socs — and spend the next two hours hating each other onstage. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Immutability should mean that no one, not even a highly privileged admin, can delete or modify backup data during its set retention period. — David Bennett, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

These privileged few will be sitting on a time bomb of their own making, similar to that faced by political and economic elites during the waning years of the Ming dynasty. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

The attackers were then able to obtain privileged internal access and bypass the normal customer-facing withdrawal process without stealing private keys, Mandiant reported. — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 2 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