Meaning & use
confidential
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Meant to be kept secret and shared only with the people allowed to know it.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after a verb: a confidential file, the file is confidential.
Patterns
- strictly confidential
- keep something confidential
The patient's records are strictly confidential.
Please keep this information confidential until the announcement.
He signed a confidential agreement with the company.
adjectivebefore a nounold-fashioned
Trusted with private matters, or talking in a private, trusting manner.
Grammar: Often used for tone of voice: a confidential whisper.
She lowered her voice to a confidential whisper.
He was her confidential secretary for twenty years.
They spoke in a confidential tone about the surprise.
Word forms
| comparative | more confidential |
|---|---|
| superlative | most confidential |
Common combinations
- strictly confidential
- The memo is marked strictly confidential.
- confidential information
- Employees must not share confidential information.
- remain confidential
- Your answers will remain confidential.
- confidential agreement
- They reached a confidential agreement out of court.
- treat as confidential
- Please treat this document as confidential.
- confidential source
- The reporter protected her confidential source.
Synonyms and how they differ
- private
- Private is the everyday word for personal matters, while confidential suits work, legal and official information.
- secret
- Secret means known by few or hidden from everyone, whereas confidential information may be shared with approved people.
- classified
- Classified is used for government information with an official security level, making it narrower than confidential.
- restricted
- Restricted refers to limited access, and does not always imply the content is sensitive.
Opposites
Word family
- confidentially adverb
- in a private way
- confidentiality noun
- the duty to keep information private
- confidence noun
- trust, or a secret shared in trust
- confide verb
- to tell a secret to someone you trust
Commonly confused: confidential or confident? confidential or confidant?
confidential vs confident
Confident means sure of yourself. Confidential means secret. Do not use confident for secret documents.
confidential vs confidant
A confidant is a person you tell secrets to.
Practice
The contract details are ____, so please do not discuss them with anyone outside the team.
Choose one answer.
Confidential means meant to be kept secret. Confident describes a person feeling sure, and conclusive means settling a question.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “confidential”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.