vested

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a nounlegal

   Legally belonging to someone, so that the right or benefit cannot be taken away.

   Grammar: Describes rights or benefits: vested rights.

   Patterns

   • vested rights
   • vested in someone

   After five years, her pension became fully vested.

   The vested rights of the owners were protected by law.

   Vested shares belong to the employee even if they leave.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounfigurative

   Having a personal stake in something, so that you gain or lose depending on the result.

   Grammar: Almost always in the phrase vested interest.

   Patterns

   • a vested interest in something

   The oil company has a vested interest in the policy.

   Parents have a vested interest in their children's schools.

   Be wary of advice from people with a vested interest.

Common combinations

vested interest

He has a vested interest in keeping the factory open.

fully vested

Employees become fully vested after four years.

vested rights

The law protected the vested rights of landowners.

vested power

The power is vested in the president.

vested shares

Vested shares can be sold immediately.

Synonyms and how they differ

entrenched

Entrenched means firmly fixed and hard to change, with less sense of personal gain than vested.

secured

Secured means made safe or guaranteed, but it does not suggest legal ownership as vested does.

personal

Personal is a general word, whereas vested interest specifically means a stake that could bias judgment.

Opposites

Word family

vest verb

to give legal right or power to someone

vesting noun

the process by which a right becomes yours

investiture noun

a ceremony giving someone an office

divest verb

to sell off or take away

Commonly confused: vested or invested? vested or vast?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “vested”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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