Entitlement

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ənˈtaɪtəlmənt/

Definitions

1. A belief in one’s right to benefits or privileges often results in expectations of receiving certain advantages, regardless of effort or merit involved
2. The condition of feeling deserving of certain rights or privileges can create assumptions about receiving benefits without necessarily earning them
3. A mindset that assumes a person deserves specific rights or perks can lead to expectations of receiving advantages without appropriate effort or justification

Etymology: "Entitlement" is a plain formation: the verb "entitle" with the suffix "-ment" attached. The verb came into English from Old French "entitler," meaning to give a title or name to something, and that root traces back to the Latin "titulus," an inscription or label. The suffix did most of the travelling. It descends from Latin "-mentum," which formed nouns naming the result or means of an action, so a "document" is what results from documenting and an "ornament" is what results from ornamenting. Old French carried that suffix into Middle English, where it was absorbed into the language's ordinary toolkit for making nouns. Because "entitle" meant to give someone a title or a claim, the noun naturally came to name the state of holding one. The modern sense, a belief in one's own right to advantages regardless of merit, grew out of that older idea of a rightful claim or legal title. The noun's wider use in English is the result of that shift in meaning rather than a separate invention.

Synonyms: right, claim, benefit

Antonyms: obligation, responsibility