confidential en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˌkɑn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/ (Canada, dialectal)
- /ˌkɒn.fəˈden.ʃəl/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˌkɒn.fɪˈden.ʃəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˌkɔn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/ (General-American) without the cot–caught merger
- kŏn′fĭ-dĕn′shəl
- /ˌkɒn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˌkɔn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/ (Scotland)
- /ˌkɔn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃʌl/ (Scotland)
- /ˌkɒn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/ (Canada, standard)
- /ˌkɔn.fɪˈden.ʃəl/ (Australia)
- /ˌkɑn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/ (General-American, cot-caught-merger)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Latin cōnfīdentia + English -al. Possibly a calque of French confidentiel. First attested in 1641.
Meanings
-
Kept, or meant to be kept, secret within a certain circle of persons; not intended to be known publicly.
“One of the things that I think parents would tell you, and that students and victims and patients would tell you, is that we have a legal responsibility, but I think more importantly a moral responsibility, to hold their information confidential and private,” Blanton said.
2016 September 1, Ellie Kaufman, “University of Kentucky sues student newspaper over sexual assault case”, in CNN:[…]I have a communication of a very private—indeed, I will say, of a sacredly confidential nature, which I desire to make to you.
1871–1872, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter LXI, in Middlemarch […], volume III, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book VI, page 355:It would tell against your reputation, losing a confidential document, wouldn’t it? Why didn’t you keep it confidential if it was confidential?
1960, Muriel Spark, chapter 10, in The Bachelors, Philadelphia: Lippincott, published 1961, page 163:The newspaper claims a leaked confidential report by the government admits to problems with corrupt MPs.
-
(dated) Inclined to share confidences; (of things) making people inclined to share confidences; involving the sharing of confidences.
Long, long would it be ere Miss Crawford′s name passed his lips again, or she could hope for a renewal of such confidential intercourse as had been.
1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter XVI, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 310:I was only alive to the condensed confidential comfortableness of sharing a pipe and a blanket with a real friend.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Nightgown”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 60:Miss Raste was encouraged to be entirely confidential, to withhold nothing even about herself, by the confidence-inspiring and kindly aspect of Elsie’s face.
1923, Arnold Bennett, chapter II, in Riceyman Steps, London: Cassell, Part 5, page 241:Sitting in front of the fire, they became quite confidential, and began to gossip.
She and Bertha had never been on confidential terms, but at such a crisis the barriers of reserve must surely fall:[…]
1905, Edith Wharton, chapter II, in The House of Mirth, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, book II, page 329:
-
(dated) Having someone's confidence or trust; having a position requiring trust; worthy of being trusted with confidences.
Now, they want me to send up a confidential person with some writings.
1819, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter VIII, in Tales of My Landlord, Third Series. […], volume II (The Bride of Lammermoor), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 168:a confidential whisper
I repeated the instruction by letter and I kept a copy of the letter witnessed by my confidential maid.
1924 April, Ford Madox Ford, chapter II, in Some Do Not … […] (Parade’s End; 1), 2nd edition, London: Duckworth and Company […], published June 1924, →OCLC, part 2, page 245:a confidential agent
[…]perhaps the confidential bachelor clerks in Tellson′s Bank were principally occupied with the cares of other people;[…]
1859, Charles Dickens, “The Preparation”, in A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book I (Recalled to Life), page 11:a confidential servant
“He said he was a confidential messenger,” shouted a man.
1959, Kurt Vonnegut, chapter 6, in The Sirens of Titan, New York: Dial, published 2006, page 155:This paper will serve instead of a confidential friend into whose ear I might pour forth the overflowings of my heart.
1848, Anne Brontë, chapter 18, in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, volume 1, London: T.C. Newby, pages 320–321:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most confidential | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more confidential | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
unconfidential · confidentially · confidentialness · confidentiality · confidential informant · nonconfidential
Relateds
Synonyms
secret · private · off the record · classified · privileged · dern
Translations (59)
pl poufny (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ro confidențial (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · nb fortrolig (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ar خُصُوصِيّ (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · sl zaupen (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · cs důvěrný (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · be тае́мны (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · nl confidentieel (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ru та́йный (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · mi matatapu (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ca confidencial (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · sh povèrljiv (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · sh повјѐрљив (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · sh povjèrljiv (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · yi אויגאויפֿאויגיק (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · gd fo rùn (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · hy գաղտնի (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · nl vertrouwelijk (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · hu bizalmas (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · th ลับเฉพาะ (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · be патае́мны (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · he חסוי (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · sh повѐрљив (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ru довери́тельный (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · gl confidencial (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · bg повери́телен (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · sv konfidentiell (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · be канфідэнцыя́льны (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · nn konfidensiell (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · de vertraulich (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · nb konfidensiell (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · it confidenziàle (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · fi salassa pidettävä (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · bg та́ен (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · gd dìomhair (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · hy կոնֆիդենցիալ (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ga rúnda (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · fr confidentiel (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · hi गोपनीय (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · hu titkos (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · cmn 機要 /机要 (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · is leynilegur (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · be та́йны (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · cmn 機密 /机密 (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ru конфиденциа́льный (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · th ลับ (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · uk конфіденці́йний (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · tr mahrem (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · gd diùrraiseach (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · mi nohotapu (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · pt secreto (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · pt confidencial (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · is heimullegur (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · az məxfi (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · it riservàto (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ja 親展 (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · es confidencial (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · ar سَرِّيّ (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle) · fi luottamuksellinen (meant to be kept secret within a certain circle)