Classified: meaning, definitions and examples

Used commonly in government, military, or corporate settings to describe information that is officially designated as needing protection from unauthorized access.

• The files are classified and can only be accessed by senior staff
• They discussed classified information about national security

Used to indicate that information is meant to be kept private or secret, often in professional, medical, or legal contexts.

• The lawyer assured that all client communications are confidential
• Doctors must maintain the confidentiality of patient records

Used to describe information or areas that are limited to certain people. Often seen in organizations with access control policies.

• Access to the restricted area is limited to authorized personnel
• This document is restricted to the management team only

Used broadly to describe something that is meant to be hidden or unknown by others. Can be used in both formal and informal settings.

• The recipe is a family secret
• They were on a secret mission that no one knew about

Use this word when you want to divide things into specific categories or groups based on similar characteristics.

• We need to categorize these books by genre.
• The data was categorized according to age and gender.

This word fits situations where you want to arrange or put things in order to improve efficiency, accessibility, or neatness.

• I need to organize my desk to find things more easily.
• They organized a meeting to discuss the project.

Use this word when arranging items into different groups, usually in a more general or informal setting compared to 'categorize' or 'classify'. It often implies a simpler or more manual process.

• Please sort these papers into files.
• I will sort the laundry by color.