Meaning & use
privileging
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“privileging” is a form of “privilege”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
Present participle of privilege: giving one thing, group or view special advantage or greater importance than others.
Grammar: Takes an object: privileging certain voices.
Patterns
- privileging something over something
The curriculum is privileging written exams over practical skills.
Critics accuse the report of privileging urban concerns and ignoring rural ones.
By privileging profit, the board overlooked safety.
noununcountableformal
The act or habit of treating one thing, group or viewpoint as more important or worthy than others.
Grammar: Used as a noun in academic writing: the privileging of male perspectives.
Patterns
- the privileging of something
Scholars have questioned the privileging of English-language sources in the field.
The privileging of speed over accuracy caused repeated errors.
Her essay examines the privileging of youth in advertising.
Word forms
| base | privilege |
|---|---|
| third person singular | privileges |
| past tense | privileged |
Common combinations
- privileging one view
- Privileging one view narrows the discussion.
- privileging certain groups
- The policy was criticized for privileging certain groups.
- privileging over
- Privileging cost over quality rarely pays off.
- the privileging of
- The privileging of experience over qualifications surprised the applicants.
Synonyms and how they differ
- favoring
- It is the plain word and can mean simple preference, while privileging suggests a structural advantage given to something.
- prioritizing
- It means putting first in a schedule or plan, and it does not imply unfairness as privileging often does.
- elevating
- It focuses on raising status and is often positive, while privileging usually implies others are being sidelined.
Opposites
Word family
- privilege noun
- a special advantage
- privileged adjective
- having special advantages
- underprivileged adjective
- lacking normal advantages
- privilege verb
- to give special importance to
Commonly confused: privileging or priviledge?
privileging vs priviledge
This is a common misspelling; the correct spelling is privilege with no d before the g.
Practice
The reviewer felt the study was ___ laboratory data over real-world evidence.
Choose one answer.
Giving lab data more weight than other evidence is privileging it. Neglecting would mean ignoring the lab data, which reverses the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “privileging”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.