Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Done or communicated in confidence; secret.
  • adjective Entrusted with the confidence of another.
  • adjective Denoting confidence or intimacy.
  • adjective Containing information, the unauthorized disclosure of which poses a threat to national security.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Enjoying the confidence of another; intrusted with secrets or with private affairs: as, a confidential friend or clerk.
  • Intended to be treated as private, or kept in confidence; spoken or written in confidence; secret.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Enjoying, or treated with, confidence; trusted in; trustworthy.
  • adjective Communicated in confidence; secret.
  • adjective (Law) See Privileged communication, under Privileged.
  • adjective those whose claims are of such a character that they are entitled to be paid before other creditors.
  • adjective debts incurred for borrowed money, and regarded as having a claim to be paid before other debts.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective kept secret within a certain circle of persons; not intended to be known publicly

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
  • adjective (of information) given in confidence or in secret
  • adjective the level of official classification for documents next above restricted and below secret; available only to persons authorized to see documents so classified
  • adjective denoting confidence or intimacy

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin confidentia +‎ -al.

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Examples

  • Because keeping the supply chain confidential is so important to buyers, they try to impose confidentiality on their suppliers.

    China Makes, The World Takes 2007

  • Because keeping the supply chain confidential is so important to buyers, they try to impose confidentiality on their suppliers.

    China Makes, The World Takes 2007

  • Informants give you information in the public interest and say that their career, liberty or life depend on keeping their name confidential.

    Public interest should trump self-interest | Nick Cohen 2012

  • Obeid said the SPLM violated provisions of the CPA by signing what he described as confidential agreements with the U.S. government.

    Unresolved Issues Will Render Referendum 'Illegimate' Warns Sudan Party Official 2010

  • The daily newspaper for the Lorraine region in eastern France printed what it described as a confidential document from the French foreign intelligence service DGSE citing an uncorroborated report from Saudi secret services that the leader of the al-Qaida terror network had died…

    reports of Bin Laden’s death are “unconfirmed” « raincoaster 2006

  • Whenever his mother wanted what she called a confidential talk with him she always selected the sofa as the most suitable ground on which to open her campaign.

    The Way of All Flesh Samuel Butler 1868

  • "He then presented a letter," says the President in his private journal, "which he termed confidential, and to be considered as addressed to me in my private character, which was too strongly marked with an intention, as well as a wish, to have no person between the Minister and President, in the transaction of business between the two nations."

    The Life of George Washington, Vol. 4 (of 5) Commander in Chief of the American Forces During the War which Established the Independence of his Country and First President of the United States John Marshall 1795

  • Goddard submitted to the court a copy of what he calls a confidential memo from Gannett to Lee prepared in January when it was first announced that the Citizen would close unless a buyer was found.

    unknown title 2009

  • Ahmadinejad was asked by ABC News about a Times of London report last week on what it called a confidential Iranian technical document describing a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the part of a nuclear warhead that sets off an explosion.

    Top Headlines 2009

  • The NCL made the allegation after what it described as a confidential tip led the organization to commission independent testing of Ocean Spray's Choice cranberries, which are sold to food manufacturers for use as an ingredient in cereal bars, baked goods, trail mixes and other snacks.

    FoodNavigator-USA RSS 2009

Comments

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  • He was becoming confidential now, but I fancy my unresponsive attitude must have exasperated him at last, for he judged it necessary to inform me that he feared neither God nor devil, let alone any mere man.

    --Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

    March 9, 2011