entitlement

noun

en·​ti·​tle·​ment in-ˈtī-tᵊl-mənt 

en-

1

a

: the state or condition of being entitled : right

b

: a right to benefits specified especially by law or contract

2

: belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges

3

: a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group

also : funds supporting or distributed by such a program

Synonyms

• allocation
• allotment
• annuity
• appropriation
• grant
• subsidy
• subvention

Examples of entitlement in a Sentence

my entitlement to a refund

celebrities who have an arrogant sense of entitlement

entitlements such as medical aid for the elderly and poor

Recent Examples on the Web

But this year’s state budget negotiations are far most complex than usual, given the uncertain future of Medicaid, a federal health care entitlement program run in cooperation with states. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025

Levels of courtesy, aggression, and entitlement vary. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

As one coach put it, many players come into the league with a sense of entitlement while overrating their own abilities. —Mike Sando, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Andrew Durand, as McCurdy, lends him a square-jawed masculine resentment and entitlement. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Legal Definition

entitlement

noun

en·​ti·​tle·​ment

1

: the state or condition of being entitled : claim

evidence of victim's entitlement to money seized

—National Law Journal

2

: a right to benefits that is granted especially by law or contract (as an insurance policy)

Note: Some courts have held that entitlements are a property interest and therefore subject to procedural due process under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution when denied by federal or state governments.

3

: a government program that provides benefits to members of a group that has a statutory entitlement

also : the benefits distributed by such a program