classified

[klas-uh-fahyd]

adjective

1. arranged or distributed in classes or according to class.

   We plan to review all the classified specimens in the laboratory.

2. designating the part or parts of a publication that contain advertisements or lists arranged by category.

   The classified section of our little local newspaper is full of ads for garage sales and cleaning ladies.

3. (of information, a document, etc.)

   1. available only to authorized persons.

   2. bearing the designation classified.

4. confidential or secret.

   The firm's promotional budget for next year is classified information.

5. identified as belonging to a specific group or category, as one to which benefits or restrictions apply.

   Classified buildings are eligible for state-funded restoration. The bank has a list of classified customers to whom it will not make large loans.

noun

1. classified ad.

classified

/ ˈklæsɪˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. arranged according to some system of classification

2. government (of information) not available to people outside a restricted group, esp for reasons of national security

3. (of information) closely concealed or secret

4. (of advertisements in newspapers, etc) arranged according to type

5. (of newspapers) containing sports results, esp football results

6. (of British roads) having a number in the national road system. If the number is preceded by an M the road is a motorway, if by an A it is a first-class road, and if by a B it is a secondary road

Other Word Forms

• nonclassified adjective
• superclassified adjective
• well-classified adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of classified¹

First recorded in 1885–90; 1940–45 classified for def. 3; classify + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Davis also points out that One Login does not meet the government's own requirements to be classified as a safe and trusted identity supplier.

Read more on BBC

The Milnet system has been under development for several years and involves both the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. spy agency focused on classified satellites.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For what it’s worth, investors shouldn’t have to worry too much about Rithm, which is classified as a mortgage real estate investment trust, being able to continue paying that big dividend.

Read more on Barron's

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued by the government for at least seven areas in the southeast classified as high risk - with airports and schools across the country shuttered.

Read more on BBC

The Israeli military said Israeli law grants detainees the right to legal representation, and that classified information is used during its investigations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• confidential 
• restricted 

When To Use

What does classified mean?

Classified means categorized or labeled in some way.Classified has several different meanings that all have to do with things being sorted in a certain way. It is commonly used to mean secret or confidential, as in that information is classified.Example: The agency keeps a list of people who have been classified as security risks.