confidential

American  

[kon-fi-den-shuhl] / ˌkɒn fɪˈdɛn ʃəl /

adjective

1. spoken, written, acted on, etc., in strict privacy or secrecy; secret.

   a confidential remark.

   Synonyms:

   private, restricted

2. indicating confidence or intimacy; imparting private matters.

   a confidential tone of voice.

   Synonyms:

   familiar, intimate

3. having another's trust or confidence; entrusted with secrets or private affairs.

   a confidential secretary.

   Synonyms:

   private, trustworthy

4. (of information, a document, etc.)

   1. bearing the classification confidential, usually being above restricted and below secret.

   2. limited to persons authorized to use information, documents, etc., so classified.

---

confidential British  

/ ˌkɒnfɪˈdɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. spoken, written, or given in confidence; secret; private

2. entrusted with another's confidence or secret affairs

   a confidential secretary

3. suggestive of or denoting intimacy

   a confidential approach

---

Related Words

See familiar.

Other Word Forms

• confidentiality noun
• confidentially adverb
• confidentialness noun
• nonconfidential adjective
• nonconfidentiality noun
• nonconfidentially adverb
• nonconfidentialness noun
• quasi-confidential adjective
• quasi-confidentially adverb

Etymology

Origin of confidential

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin confīdenti(a) confidence + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Polymarket the same day updated its terms of use to prohibit trading on stolen confidential information or on illegal tips, or by people who can influence the outcome of an event.

From The Wall Street Journal

The group claimed Patel’s entire personal email was available for public download, allegedly including confidential and classified information.

From Salon

Earlier this week, Polymarket said it was beefing up its rules against insider trading, prohibiting users from trading on stolen confidential information or illegal tips.

From The Wall Street Journal

These confidential records notably showed how their architecture reduced users to a series of statistics, such as "customer lifetime value," representing the total expected profit for a person over their entire time on the platform.

From Barron's

It isn’t clear whether the prospectus that The Information referenced will be a confidential filing or whether investors will be able to read it.

From Barron's

Related Words

• classified
• hush-hush
• intimate
• private