Legal Definitions - confidential

Definition: Confidential is an adjective that describes information that is meant to be kept secret. It can also describe a relationship that is characterized by trust and a willingness to confide in the other person.

• A company's financial records are confidential and should not be shared with anyone outside the company.
• During a job interview, the interviewer may ask confidential questions about your personal life.
• A lawyer has a confidential relationship with their client, which means that the client can trust the lawyer to keep their information private.

The examples illustrate the definition of confidential by showing situations where information needs to be kept secret or where trust is important. In the first example, financial records are confidential because they contain sensitive information that could harm the company if it were to be leaked. In the second example, the interviewer is asking confidential questions to get a better understanding of the candidate, but the candidate can trust that their answers will not be shared with anyone else. In the third example, the lawyer-client relationship is confidential because the client needs to be able to trust that their lawyer will keep their information private in order to build a strong case.