privilege

American  

[priv-uh-lij, priv-lij] / ˈprɪv ə lɪdʒ, ˈprɪv lɪdʒ /

noun

• privileges
  plural

1. 1. a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed by a particular person or a restricted group of people beyond the advantages of most.

      Few people have access to the privileges of the very rich.

   2. the unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that a restricted group of people has over another group: male privilege;

      white privilege based on skin color;

      male privilege;

      children of privilege.

2. a special right, immunity, or exemption granted to persons in authority or office to free them from certain obligations or liabilities.

   It's a privilege of a senator to speak in Congress without danger of a libel suit.

3. a grant to an individual, corporation, etc., of a special right or immunity, under certain conditions.

4. the principle or condition of enjoying special rights or immunities.

   Synonyms:

   liberty, freedom, license

5. any of the rights common to all citizens under a modern constitutional government.

   We enjoy the privileges of a free people.

6. an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person.

   It's my privilege to be here.

7. Stock Exchange. an option to buy or sell stock at a stipulated price for a limited period of time, including puts, calls, spreads, and straddles.

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verb (used with object)

• privileges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• privileged,
  past participle,  past
• privileging
  present participle

1. to grant a privilege to.

2. to exempt (usually followed byfrom ).

3. to authorize or license (something otherwise forbidden).

privilege British  

/ ˈprɪvɪlɪdʒ /

noun

1. a benefit, immunity, etc, granted under certain conditions

2. the advantages and immunities enjoyed by a small usually powerful group or class, esp to the disadvantage of others

   one of the obstacles to social harmony is privilege

3. any of the fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens of a country by its constitution

4. 1. the right of a lawyer to refuse to divulge information obtained in confidence from a client

   2. the right claimed by any of certain other functionaries to refuse to divulge information

      executive privilege

5. the rights and immunities enjoyed by members of most legislative bodies, such as freedom of speech, freedom from arrest in civil cases during a session, etc

6. stock exchange a speculative contract permitting its purchaser to make optional purchases or sales of securities at a specified time over a limited period of time See also call put spread straddle

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verb

1. to bestow a privilege or privileges upon

2. (foll by from) to free or exempt

Usage

Spelling tips for privilege The word privilege is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is tempting to use an e in the place of one of the two is, as in privelege. Second, people often want to add a d after the g because of the way privilege is pronounced (priviledge). How to spell privilege: It's a privilege to have two eyes (Is) and legs. This helps remind you that privilege is spelled with two is and the final syllable does not have a d. 

Synonym Usage

Privilege, prerogative refer to a special advantage or right possessed by an individual or group. A privilege is a right or advantage gained by birth, social position, effort, or concession. It can have either legal or personal sanction: the privilege of paying half fare; the privilege of calling whenever one wishes. Prerogative refers to an exclusive right claimed and granted, often officially or legally, on the basis of social status, heritage, gender, etc.: the prerogatives of a king; the prerogatives of management.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• privileger
  noun
• proprivilege
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• privileges
  plural

Participles

• privileging
  present
• privileged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• privilege
  simple
• privileges
  simple
• have privileged
  perfect
• has privileged
  perfect
• am privileging
  progressive
• are privileging
  progressive
• is privileging
  progressive
• have been privileging
  perfect progressive
• has been privileging
  perfect progressive

Past

• privileged
  simple
• had privileged
  perfect
• was privileging
  progressive
• were privileging
  progressive
• had been privileging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will privilege
  simple
• will have privileged
  perfect
• will be privileging
  progressive
• will have been privileging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of privilege

First recorded in 1125–75; (noun) Middle English; earlier privilegie, from Old French privilege, from Latin prīvilēgium originally, “a law (for or against an individual),” equivalent to prīvi- (combining form of prīvus “one's own, private”) + lēg- ( see legal) + -ium -ium; (verb) Middle English privilegen, from Middle French privilegier, from Medieval Latin prīvilēgiāre, derivative of prīvilēgium

Explanation

A privilege is a special advantage not enjoyed by everyone. If you're very snooty, you probably don't allow just anyone the privilege of being your friend. Privilege comes from Latin privilegium, meaning a law for just one person, and means a benefit enjoyed by an individual or group beyond what's available to others. Someone wealthy come from privilege. Someone with a library card has borrowing privileges. Privilege can also be used as a verb. If you are on a committee giving away scholarships, you'll have to decide whether to privilege students from poor backgrounds or the students with high test scores.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

privilege privileges privileged privileging

UFC Brazil reporter Evelyn Rodrigues wrote in the comments: “One of the kindest souls I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing through MMA. Rest in peace, Allan.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"It was a privilege to work with the various teams across institutions over the years. It was a formative experience as an early-career researcher."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

A pair of endangered tiger cubs have been born at a safari park in a significant boost for global conservation, with keepers hailing their arrival as a "real privilege".

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

"This is a great privilege, but it is also a great responsibility," Netanyahu said before departing Israel on Monday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The problem, it is claimed, with grand narratives is that they privilege one perspective over another; the alternative is a relativism which holds that all perspectives are equally valid.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

But in an administration that privileges snarling visages, Witkoff is nearly universally described as “kind,” or “nice,” a quality he has used to good diplomatic effect.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

It is whether it can distinguish real vulnerabilities from the privileges it mistakes for burdens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

People on an enterprise network have their identities managed so that they have the privileges they need, and are blocked from everything else.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

In May 2022, the hacker went through the firm's network and took over administrator privileges — the highest level of system access to the IT network, the ICO said.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

The higher your rank, the more special privileges you earn, like unlocking secret pages and online games and puzzles.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

The restorative-justice circle would embolden the student as he realized his misbehavior would give him further opportunities to get privileged time and attention with no consequences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

A notion that blossomed from an idealistic vision was Martinized into a cult-like excursion for the privileged.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

Yet right now, it belongs only to a privileged few.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

England team-mate Jude Bellingham said he would look back at Kane in future years as a player and person he was proud and privileged to line up alongside.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Several critics wrote dis- missively that these were just spoiled middle-class children whining about their privileged places in life.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

The essence of many bad decisions, decision theorists have long shown us, is privileging a single outcome or scenario as if it’s the only possible one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

For instance, Google has been accused of privileging its own products in search results, while Apple has been accused of charging some developers exorbitant fees to be listed in its App Store.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2023

Your organization has now filed a complaint against Harvard University for its policy of privileging legacies and the family members of donors in its admissions process.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2023

For the camera to lavish attention on a single soul suddenly feels like an indulgence, a rare privileging of the individual over the collective.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2023

The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate answers.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Related Words

• advantage
• allowance
• authority
• authorization
• benefit
• concession
• due
• entitlement
• exemption
• freedom
• immunity
• license
• opportunity
• prerogative
• right