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.

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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

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Synonym Usage

See familiar.

Other Word Forms

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

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Etymology

Origin of confidential

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

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Explanation

If you get a letter stamped confidential, that means you're not supposed to tell anyone else what it says. It's private and you're not supposed to blab about it. Confidential suggests that you're being let in on a secret — as in Kitchen Confidential, the title of a book by Anthony Bourdain, a famous chef, in which he tells unappetizing stories about the restaurant industry. If you confide in someone, you are trusting him or her with confidential or secret information. Choose your confidants wisely!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confidential

And a later district filing to the state acknowledged that more than 500 people who worked for district contractors likely had Social Security numbers and other confidential information exposed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

But it’s also true that hackers will often keep information confidential pending the outcome of a ransom demand.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

In January, a former Google software engineer was convicted of stealing thousands of pages of confidential information relating to the company’s AI trade secrets and giving the material to China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Plus, Ukraine said new limits on Starlink have disrupted its military operations, and OpenAI alleged an ex-employee took confidential files to Apple.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

"There's been a mistake," I told the maid, leaning over the counter and speaking in a low, confidential tone.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

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Related Words

• classified
• hush-hush
• intimate
• private

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