forbidden words: privileges

privileges
plural noun

a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.
“education is a right, not a privilege”

Similar:

• advantage
• right
• benefit
• prerogative
• entitlement
• birthright
• due
• concession
• freedom
• liberty

something regarded as a special honor.
“I have the privilege of awarding you this scholarship”

Similar:

• honor
• pleasure

(especially in a parliamentary context) the right to say or write something without the risk of incurring punishment or legal action for defamation.
noun: absolute privilege;
plural noun: absolute privileges;
noun: parliamentary privilege;
plural noun: parliamentary privileges
“a breach of parliamentary privilege”

the right of a lawyer or official to refuse to divulge confidential information.

historical
a grant to an individual, corporation, or place of special rights or immunities, especially in the form of a franchise or monopoly.

Similar:

• immunity
• exemption
• dispensation

verb formal
3rd person present: privileges

grant a privilege or privileges to.
“English inheritance law privileged the eldest son”

exempt (someone) from a liability or obligation to which others are subject.

from — Google Search. (n.d.-g). 

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Privileges . . . are the specific benefits or advantages that come with possessing privilege. These can include access to better education, healthcare, job opportunities, and social networks. Privileges can also be more subtle, such as not having to worry about being discriminated against or harassed due to one’s race or gender. Privileges can be both tangible and intangible, and they often work together to reinforce existing power structures and inequalities.

Here is a table summarizing the differences between privilege and privileges:

Privilege	Privileges
A special advantage, right, or immunity granted to a particular group or individual that is not available to everyone else	The specific benefits or advantages that come with possessing privilege
Based on factors such as social status, wealth, race, or gender	Can include access to better education, healthcare, job opportunities, and social networks
Often taken for granted and seen as the norm	Can be both tangible and intangible

It is important to note that privilege is not inherently bad, but it becomes problematic when it is used to maintain or reinforce existing power structures and inequalities. Recognizing and understanding privilege and privileges is crucial in creating a more equitable and just society.

from — Manaher, S. (2023). Privilege vs privileges: How are these words connected? thecontentauthority.com.

example sentences: privileges

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September 19, 2025
Hudson Valley, New York

This is one of the words/ phrases you can’t say in the new Trump Administration. See a comprehensive list at the Forbidden Words Project.

image: steeple © Holly Troy 9.2025