classified

American  

[klas-uh-fahyd] / ˈklæs əˌfaɪd /

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.

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noun

1. classified ad.

classified British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonclassified adjective
• superclassified adjective
• well-classified adjective

Etymology

Origin of classified

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

Example Sentences

Air-traffic controllers, classified as essential personnel, worked through the funding impasse, with pay deferred until the end of the shutdown.

From MarketWatch

It has been classified by the FDA as "generally recognized as safe," meaning it can be used in consumer food products.

From Science Daily

The team classified wet extremes as water storage levels above the 90th percentile for a given region.

From Science Daily

Appearing before the committee on Monday, Sir Richard confirmed he had met Sir Keir Starmer in December and that they had talked about the defence investment plan but added that material discussed was "classified secret".

From BBC

He said the material would be classified as Category C under UK law - the lowest severity of criminal material.

From BBC

Related Words

• confidential
• restricted