confidential

[kon-fi-den-shuhl]

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of confidential¹

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

Synonym Study

See familiar.

Example Sentences

All players will gain access to their confidential support service as an independent route for raising welfare concerns.

From BBC

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is attempting to gain access to confidential voter information in at least 21 states to combat “fraud.”

From Salon

She defended her conversation saying she had been trying to make a diplomatic breakthrough with Hun Sen, an old friend of her father Thaksin Shinawatra, and said the conversation should have remained confidential.

From BBC

"Organisations need to understand that AI is a repository of confidential information that requires protection, just like any other form of storage system," said Nivedita Murthy, senior security consultant at cyber-security firm Black Duck.

From BBC

She said her appointment was both sensitive and confidential; she was seeing a doctor because of concerns about her pregnancy, which wasn’t yet public.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• classified 
• hush-hush 
• intimate 
• private