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

The process of releasing classified files takes weeks, but the John F. Kennedy documents were released March 18.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Members of the press have until Tuesday to sign the new policy, which states that military personnel need approval before sharing information with the media, even if it isn’t classified.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Eastern contested the decision, and the fine was reduced to $15,625 and classified as a serious violation rather than a willful one, according to federal records.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A Gleason score of nine meant his illness was classified as "high-grade" and the cancer cells could spread quickly, according to Cancer Research UK.

Read more on BBC

When the accord was signed in 2015, China was classified as a developing country.

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.