adj · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
kŏn′fĭ-dĕn′shəl
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌkɒn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌkɒn.fɪˈden.ʃəl/
General-American:/ˌkɔn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/without the cot–caught merger
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, standard:/ˌkɒn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/
Canada, dialectal:/ˌkɑn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/
Australian:/ˌkɔn.fɪˈden.ʃəl/
New-Zealand:/ˌkɒn.fəˈden.ʃəl/
Scotland:/ˌkɔn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/
Scotland:/ˌkɔn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃʌl/
rhymes with -ɛnʃəl
CMU ARPABET:K AA2 N F AH0 D EH1 N SH AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Kept, or meant to be kept, secret within a certain circle of persons; not intended to be known publicly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The newspaper claims a leaked confidential report by the government admits to problems with corrupt MPs.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: private, classified, off the record, privileged, secret, dern
Antonyms: public, on the record
2
adj
Meaning 2
Inclined to share confidences; (of things) making people inclined to share confidences; involving the sharing of confidences.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
Examples
Sitting in front of the fire, they became quite confidential, and began to gossip.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Having someone's confidence or trust; having a position requiring trust; worthy of being trusted with confidences.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
Examples
a confidential agent
a confidential servant
a confidential whisper
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
the level of official classification for documents next above restricted and below secret; available only to persons authorized to see documents so classified
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
denoting confidence or intimacy
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a confidential approach
in confidential tone of voice
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
(of information) given in confidence or in secret
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
this arrangement must be kept confidential
their secret communications
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: secret
Antonyms: none provided
7
adjective satellite
Meaning 7
entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a confidential secretary
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Latin cōnfīdentia + English -al. Possibly a calque of French confidentiel. First attested in 1641.
Across languages
Translations
58 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
سَرِّيّ
(sarriyy)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Arabic:
خُصُوصِيّ
(ḵuṣūṣiyy)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Armenian:
գաղտնի
(gaġtni)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Azerbaijani:
məxfi
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Belarusian:
канфідэнцыя́льны
(kanfidencyjálʹny)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Belarusian:
та́йны
(tájny)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Belarusian:
тае́мны
(tajémny)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Belarusian:
патае́мны
(patajémny)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Bulgarian:
та́ен
(táen)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Bulgarian:
повери́телен
(poverítelen)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Catalan:
confidencial
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Chinese Mandarin:
機密 /机密
(jīmì)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Chinese Mandarin:
機要 /机要
(jīyào)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Czech:
důvěrný
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Dutch:
vertrouwelijk
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Dutch:
confidentieel
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Finnish:
luottamuksellinen
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Finnish:
salassa pidettävä
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
French:
confidentiel
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Galician:
confidencial
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
German:
vertraulich
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Hebrew:
חסוי
(khasui)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Hindi:
गोपनीय
(gopnīya)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Hungarian:
bizalmas
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Hungarian:
titkos
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Icelandic:
leynilegur
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Icelandic:
heimullegur
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Irish:
rúnda
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Italian:
confidenziàle
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Italian:
riservàto
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Japanese:
親展
(shinten)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Māori:
matatapu
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Māori:
nohotapu
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Norwegian Bokmål:
konfidensiell
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Norwegian Bokmål:
fortrolig
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Norwegian Nynorsk:
konfidensiell
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Polish:
poufny
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Portuguese:
confidencial
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Portuguese:
secreto
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Romanian:
confidențial
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Russian:
конфиденциа́льный
(konfidenciálʹnyj)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Russian:
та́йный
(tájnyj)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Russian:
довери́тельный
(doverítelʹnyj)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Scottish Gaelic:
dìomhair
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Scottish Gaelic:
diùrraiseach
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Scottish Gaelic:
fo rùn
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Serbo-Croatian:
повѐрљив
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Serbo-Croatian:
повјѐрљив
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Serbo-Croatian:
povèrljiv
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Serbo-Croatian:
povjèrljiv
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Slovene:
zaupen
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Spanish:
confidencial
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Swedish:
konfidentiell
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Thai:
ลับเฉพาะ
(láp chàpór)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Thai:
ลับ
(láp)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Turkish:
mahrem
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Ukrainian:
конфіденці́йний
(konfidencíjnyj)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
Yiddish:
אויגאויפֿאויגיק
(oygoyfoygik)
— meant to be kept secret within a certain circle
