Privilege
noun / verb /ˈprɪv.ɪ.lɪdʒ/ — A special right or advantage not available to everyone.
Definition
A special right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by a particular person or group. In contemporary social discourse: the unearned advantages that accrue to members of dominant social groups — advantages so embedded they often go unnoticed.
Beyond the definition
Privilege is often invisible to those who have it, because it looks like normal. It requires distance — or someone to point it out — to see what others cannot do that you do without effort or acknowledgement.
Origin & history
Latin: 'privilegium' (law for one person). From 'privus' (individual, private) + 'lex/legis' (law). A special rule that applies to one person or group — which is either a gift or an injustice, depending on who observes it.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The privilege of being believed when you tell the truth is not one everyone shares.
She understood privilege not as guilt but as unearned starting position — useful to acknowledge, possible to use well.
To check your privilege is not self-flagellation. It's accounting: understanding what you didn't earn.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Privilege” when the meaning fits your context: A special right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by a particular person or group. In contemporary social discourse: the unearned advantages that accrue to members of dominant social groups — advantages so embedded they often go unnoticed.
Synonyms
advantage, entitlement, prerogative, licence
Antonyms
disadvantage, inequality, burden
Related words
Privilege vs entitlement
Privilege refers to unearned systemic advantages one possesses. Entitlement is the belief that one deserves certain things or rights, often regardless of whether those rights are earned.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Intentional Arrangement of Personal Space
A person carefully selects and places three simple, balanced objects on a wooden tray within a minimalist, perfectly ordered room interior.
This curation visualizes privilege as the structural capacity to maintain an ordered environment free from chaos, functioning as an invisible benefit of time and resource availability that distinguishes the occupant from those lacking such stability.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Privilege" mean?
Privilege is noun / verb meaning: A special right or advantage not available to everyone.. A special right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by a particular person or group. In contemporary social discourse: the unearned advantages that accrue to members of dominant social groups — advantages so embedded they often go unnoticed.
Where does the word "Privilege" come from?
Latin: 'privilegium' (law for one person). From 'privus' (individual, private) + 'lex/legis' (law). A special rule that applies to one person or group — which is either a gift or an injustice, depending on who observes it.