classified
Americanadjective
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arranged or distributed in classes or according to class.
We plan to review all the classified specimens in the laboratory.
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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.
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(of information, a document, etc.)
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available only to authorized persons.
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bearing the designation classified.
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confidential or secret.
The firm's promotional budget for next year is classified information.
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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
adjective
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arranged according to some system of classification
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government (of information) not available to people outside a restricted group, esp for reasons of national security
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(of information) closely concealed or secret
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(of advertisements in newspapers, etc) arranged according to type
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(of newspapers) containing sports results, esp football results
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(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
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of classified
First recorded in 1885–90; 1940–45 classified for def. 3; classify + -ed 2
Explanation
Classified things are organized into categories. For example, classified ads in newspapers are arranged by type, with job listings in one section and apartments for rent in another. Classified documents, on the other hand, are for your eyes only. That is, if you have security clearance. When you classify things, you arrange or sort them into groups, or classes — once this is done, they are classified. Your science book might include sections on animals, classified by species. Sometimes information is categorized as "top-secret," which is another meaning of classified: "I can't show you the classified documents. Only members of the city council can see those."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That tension has defined some of the most significant First Amendment battles in American history, including disputes over classified documents, confidential sources and government efforts to identify journalists’ sources.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
The precise defensive capabilities of Air Force One are classified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The scale of the disaster, as in Haiti in 2010, also meant many people could be classified as missing for a while, he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Education Department initially classified only 11 fields as professional, leaving out areas including nursing, physical therapy and education.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Spy gear that can eavesdrop on all the prime minister's top-secret communications and then uplink classified information to a satellite, which Dr. Loofah will download and sell to the highest bidder.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
There are two sectors that have gotten destroyed globally: Software and classifieds.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
I even scoured the real estate section of the classifieds for potential store-fronts, convinced I just had to find the listings other people overlooked.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2025
WILSON: I found it on the etc. section of Craigslist classifieds, the place where they put work that can’t be categorized into any other area.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
Searches for chickens and “chicken-related items” on New Zealand’s largest auction and classifieds site recently jumped by more than 75 percent.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
On the radio, the announcer reads public service classifieds.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
