ENGLISH
REFERENCE

confidential

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌkɑnfəˈdɛnʃəɫ// UK //kˌɒnfɪdˈɛnʃəl// con·fi·den·tial Archaic

adj. intended to be kept secret and not shared with others. You use this for private information that only certain people should see.

adj. intended to be kept secret or private. Often used in legal, medical, or corporate contexts to describe sensitive information that must not be disclosed to unauthorized parties.


SIMPLE

Please keep this information confidential.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor reminded the staff that all patient records are strictly confidential and must be stored in a locked cabinet.

COMPLEX

While the general terms of the merger were announced to the press, the specific financial details remained confidential until the final contracts were signed by both parties.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin confidentia + -al.

Usage

Typically used to modify nouns like 'information', 'documents', or 'records'.

Pitfall

He told me a confidential.He told me a secret.Confidential is an adjective, not a noun; it must modify a noun or follow a linking verb.

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