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
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classifieds
plural
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:
According to Muhlestein, many people who suffer their first heart attack, particularly younger adults, would not previously have been classified as having enough cardiovascular risk to justify statin treatment.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
The transaction gets classified as an all-cash deal.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Some cancers classified as non-high-risk contained cells with gene activity patterns closely resembling those found in high-risk tumors.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Uday joins other clinicians and academics who have formed a group - ACT NOW Vitamin D - calling for the threshold at which you are classified as deficient to be raised.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Over the following hours and days, reading classified cables in his Pentagon office, Ellsberg learned the truth about the South Vietnamese attacks on North Vietnam.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Seek remains Macquarie’s least-preferred ASX-listed classifieds provider due to risks around listings volumes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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
For the uninitiated: Facebook Marketplace is a virtual yard sale, like Craigslist or the classifieds.
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2022
Terrance continued to advertise for her capture, filling the classifieds in far-off states with her description and details of her crime.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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