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

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

But those numbers capture only a fraction of deaths, which often are classified only by other, more immediate causes, such as bleeding in the brain.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

District Court Judge Anne Hwang, who ruled April 9 that the state needs to do more to protect the western snowy plover, which is classified as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Those companies, along with four others, have agreed to make their AI available for classified use by the Pentagon.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

While Google's Gemini was also already in use by some parts of the government, this will be the first time the chatbot is being used to handle any government work at a classified level.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Halliday’s boyhood home on Middletown couldn’t really be classified as “neglected,” but maybe he was talking about a different house in his hometown?

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• confidential
• restricted