prerogative

American  

[pri-rog-uh-tiv, puh-rog-] / prɪˈrɒg ə tɪv, pəˈrɒg- /

noun

1. an exclusive right, privilege, etc., exercised by virtue of rank, office, or the like.

   the prerogatives of a senator.

2. a right, privilege, etc., limited to a specific person or to persons of a particular category.

   It was the teacher's prerogative to stop the discussion.

3. a power, immunity, or the like restricted to a sovereign government or its representative.

   The royal prerogative exempts the king from taxation.

4. Obsolete. precedence.

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adjective

1. having or exercising a prerogative.

2. pertaining to, characteristic of, or existing by virtue of a prerogative.

prerogative British  

/ prɪˈrɒɡətɪv /

noun

1. an exclusive privilege or right exercised by a person or group of people holding a particular office or hereditary rank

2. any privilege or right

3. a power, privilege, or immunity restricted to a sovereign or sovereign government

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adjective

1. having or able to exercise a prerogative

Synonym Usage

See privilege.

Etymology

Origin of prerogative

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin praerogātīvus (adjective) “voting first,” praerogātīva (noun use of feminine of adjective) “tribe or century with right to vote first.” See pre-, interrogative

Explanation

A prerogative is someone's special right or privilege. As Bobby Brown once sang, "I don't need permission / Make my own decisions / That's my prerogative." Prerogative goes back to a Latin root for a group having the right to vote first (prae-, "pre-" + rogare, "to ask") and thus came to mean "privileged rank." In current use, it refers to a right or privilege held by any person or group. A near synonym is privilege, which puts more emphasis on the fact that others do not have it. The self-justifying phrase "That's my prerogative" (for example, in reference to changing one's mind) is quite common.

Example Sentences

Legislators are also not, for now, challenging Disney’s even more super-secret authority to indefinitely detain “any individual deemed to be in violation … of Mouse Prerogative 7.0 Delta.”

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2022

The Northern Ireland Office said the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has been used in the past on compassionate grounds or in exchange for co-operation with the authorities to help bring others to justice.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2021

This set a precedent, although ministers are not constitutionally bound to consult in this way, as they are able to exercise the Royal Prerogative on such matters.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2014

In 1988, Bobby Brown bragged that "no one can tell me what to do" in his hit song about his awesomeness, "My Prerogative."

From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2011

The Pope pretends to the Prerogative of deposing the Cardinals, but they deny it.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume II Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels From Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Related Words

• immunity
• perquisite