ENGLISH
REFERENCE

privileged

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈpɹɪvɪɫədʒd// UK //pɹˈɪvɪlɪdʒd// priv·i·leged

v. to give a person or a specific idea more importance or better treatment than others. In legal situations, it means protecting certain information so it does not have to be shared in court.

v. to grant a particular group, individual, or concept a position of advantage or priority. In a legal context, it refers to the formal protection of communications from forced disclosure during discovery or trial.


SIMPLE

The new law privileges the rights of homeowners over renters.

CONTEXTUAL

The court must decide whether the internal emails are privileged under the rules of attorney-client confidentiality.

COMPLEX

By choosing to privilege anecdotal evidence over peer-reviewed data, the committee inadvertently undermined the scientific credibility of their final report.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object. In legal contexts, it is frequently used in the passive voice ('the document is privileged').

Pitfall

He is very privileged personHe is a very privileged personWhen using the related adjective form, learners often omit the required article before the noun phrase.

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