privilege
Americannoun
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a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed by a particular person or a restricted group of people beyond the advantages of most.
Few people have access to the privileges of the very rich.
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the unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that a restricted group of people has over another group: male privilege;
white privilege based on skin color;
male privilege;
children of privilege.
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a special right, immunity, or exemption granted to persons in authority or office to free them from certain obligations or liabilities.
It's a privilege of a senator to speak in Congress without danger of a libel suit.
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a grant to an individual, corporation, etc., of a special right or immunity, under certain conditions.
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the principle or condition of enjoying special rights or immunities.
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any of the rights common to all citizens under a modern constitutional government.
We enjoy the privileges of a free people.
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an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person.
It's my privilege to be here.
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Stock Exchange. an option to buy or sell stock at a stipulated price for a limited period of time, including puts, calls, spreads, and straddles.
verb (used with object)
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to grant a privilege to.
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to exempt (usually followed byfrom ).
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to authorize or license (something otherwise forbidden).
noun
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a benefit, immunity, etc, granted under certain conditions
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the advantages and immunities enjoyed by a small usually powerful group or class, esp to the disadvantage of others
one of the obstacles to social harmony is privilege
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any of the fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens of a country by its constitution
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the right of a lawyer to refuse to divulge information obtained in confidence from a client
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the right claimed by any of certain other functionaries to refuse to divulge information
executive privilege
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the rights and immunities enjoyed by members of most legislative bodies, such as freedom of speech, freedom from arrest in civil cases during a session, etc
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stock exchange a speculative contract permitting its purchaser to make optional purchases or sales of securities at a specified time over a limited period of time See also call put spread straddle
verb
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to bestow a privilege or privileges upon
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(foll by from) to free or exempt
Usage
Spelling tips for privilege The word privilege is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is tempting to use an e in the place of one of the two is, as in privelege. Second, people often want to add a d after the g because of the way privilege is pronounced (priviledge). How to spell privilege: It's a privilege to have two eyes (Is) and legs. This helps remind you that privilege is spelled with two is and the final syllable does not have a d.
Synonym Usage
Privilege, prerogative refer to a special advantage or right possessed by an individual or group. A privilege is a right or advantage gained by birth, social position, effort, or concession. It can have either legal or personal sanction: the privilege of paying half fare; the privilege of calling whenever one wishes. Prerogative refers to an exclusive right claimed and granted, often officially or legally, on the basis of social status, heritage, gender, etc.: the prerogatives of a king; the prerogatives of management.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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privilegesimple
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privilegessimple
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have privilegedperfect
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has privilegedperfect
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am privilegingprogressive
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are privilegingprogressive
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is privilegingprogressive
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have been privilegingperfect progressive
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has been privilegingperfect progressive
Past
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privilegedsimple
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had privilegedperfect
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was privilegingprogressive
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were privilegingprogressive
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had been privilegingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of privilege
First recorded in 1125–75; (noun) Middle English; earlier privilegie, from Old French privilege, from Latin prīvilēgium originally, “a law (for or against an individual),” equivalent to prīvi- (combining form of prīvus “one's own, private”) + lēg- ( see legal) + -ium -ium; (verb) Middle English privilegen, from Middle French privilegier, from Medieval Latin prīvilēgiāre, derivative of prīvilēgium
Explanation
A privilege is a special advantage not enjoyed by everyone. If you're very snooty, you probably don't allow just anyone the privilege of being your friend. Privilege comes from Latin privilegium, meaning a law for just one person, and means a benefit enjoyed by an individual or group beyond what's available to others. Someone wealthy come from privilege. Someone with a library card has borrowing privileges. Privilege can also be used as a verb. If you are on a committee giving away scholarships, you'll have to decide whether to privilege students from poor backgrounds or the students with high test scores.
Vocabulary lists containing privilege
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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Bud, Not Buddy
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31
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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:
And eight times a week, it’s dropped atop the heads of people who pay for the privilege — just a few feet short of actually hitting anyone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The issue of quality air access is increasingly linked privilege and wealth.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
It is such a privilege to be in this position.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead Brown-Forman,” Whiting said Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
I was so grateful I had the privilege of being nearby so we could spend her last days together.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
In the decade preceding Xi, he noted, there was perhaps one such case—and even then, the official wasn’t imprisoned, but was merely stripped of privileges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
California drivers who are caught motoring at speeds of more than 100 mph will now face disciplinary actions imposed by the Department of Motor Vehicles — including potentially losing their driving privileges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
When we talk about U.S. citizenship, there is a tendency to assume that, Well, of course everyone wants legal citizenship because it means access to rights, privileges, and protections.
From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2026
The panel will also examine whether he discriminated unfairly by "dispensing special favours or privileges".
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
Surely, Anthony reasoned, one of those privileges was voting.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Yet right now, it belongs only to a privileged few.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
AfricaMuseum director general Bart Ouvry said the Belgian institution turned down KoBold's offer over concerns about giving a single private actor privileged access.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
For example, it says the facility doesn’t provide headphones for tablets, making private phone calls — including privileged calls with attorneys — impossible unless the detainee can afford to purchase headphones from the commissary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
We've been privileged to see him live several times but just to watch him together on TV this time will be special, because this is probably his last World Cup.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
We explode clouds of aerosol, mixed for good luck with deodorants, into our noses, mouths, underarms, privileged crannies—even into the intimate insides of our telephones.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
The essence of many bad decisions, decision theorists have long shown us, is privileging a single outcome or scenario as if it’s the only possible one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The seating issue has sparked discussions among fashion enthusiasts and critics alike, with many feeling that the arrangement feels elitist, privileging front-row viewers while limiting the experience for others.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
Your organization has now filed a complaint against Harvard University for its policy of privileging legacies and the family members of donors in its admissions process.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2023
The privileging of fixed points in linear time nearly guaranteed the erasure of Native histories, irreducible to dated or datable events.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2022
The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate answers.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
