entitlement.

1. A right or authorized claim to a benefit, resource or treatment under an applicable rule or arrangement.

2. An expectation that one deserves special treatment or advantages, especially without sufficient justification.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• legal entitlement
• entitlement to a benefit

On the page

The rule created an entitlement to the benefit once the specified conditions were met.

The inquiry distinguished legal entitlement from the practical ability to obtain the service.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Singular entitlement; plural entitlements. Also uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: status distinction, institutional analysis, scope qualification, rights analysis. Disciplines: formal writing, institutional procedures, legal-administrative language. Commonness: moderately common.