confidential communication

American  

noun

Law.

1. a confidential statement made to a lawyer, doctor, or pastor, or to one's spouse, privileged against disclosure in court if the privilege is claimed by the client, patient, penitent, or spouse.

---

Etymology

Origin of confidential communication

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Once someone is found, confidential communication is almost impossible.

From Slate • Dec. 12, 2025

The existence of a confidential communication channel between Mary and Castelnau was well-known to historians, and even to the English government at the time.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2023

He and his lawyers say that his rights to confidential communication and to prepare his defense have been repeatedly violated.

From New York Times • Sep. 20, 2021

The potential false sense of security is an especially important warning sign for reporters and their sources, who have turned increasingly to encrypted apps for confidential communication as such services have proliferated in recent years.

From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2018

It is entirely a confidential communication, and I call upon you to treat it as such.

From The Last Woman by Beeckman, Ross