entitlement
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the official right to have or do something, often based on a law or a contract.
the legal or official right to receive a benefit or service, often established by statute or contract.
Simple“Your holiday entitlement increases after you have worked for the company for three years.”
In context“The legal team reviewed the contract to determine the employee's exact entitlement regarding severance pay and stock options.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'to'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a government programme that provides money or help to people who meet certain rules.
a government-funded programme or payment that guarantees support to citizens who meet specific eligibility criteria.
Simple“The government is debating whether to reduce spending on healthcare entitlements.”
In context“Economists warned that the rising cost of age-related entitlements would place an unsustainable burden on the national budget over the next decade.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
the feeling that you are better than others and deserve special treatment without working for it.
a subjective belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment, often used pejoratively.
Simple“His sense of entitlement made it very difficult for him to work in a team.”
In context“The manager noted that the new intern's sense of entitlement was alienating the senior staff, who expected a more humble approach to learning.”
Teacher's tipIn modern social commentary, this sense is frequently used to criticise younger generations or wealthy individuals.
“Another wrinkle in Reform's plan is that its planned savings could disappear if a large number of EU nationals apply to become UK citizens and were able to keep their entitlement to benefits.”
“Couples, where neither of them is a UK or EU citizen and they do not have EU settled status, will lose their entitlement.”
From entitle + -ment.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.