entitlement

Definition of entitlement

Etymology

entitle + -ment

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ənˈtaɪtəlmənt/

Noun

entitlement (plural entitlements)

1. the right to have something
2. something that one is entitled to (or believes that one is entitled to)
3. (politics) a legal obligation on a government to make payments to a person, business, or unit of government that meets the criteria set in law, such as the Pell Grant and social security in the US.

Further reading

Entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits because of rights or by agreement through law. It also refers, in a more casual sense, to someone's belief that one is deserving of some particular reward or benefit.[1] It is often used pejoratively in common parlance (e.g. a "sense of entitlement").

Terminology

As a legal term, entitlement carries no value judgment: it simply denotes a right granted. For example in the United States of America, social security is an entitlement program.[2]

In clinical psychology and psychiatry, an unrealistic, exaggerated, or rigidly held sense of entitlement may be considered a symptom of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

In Land Development, the Entitlement Process is the legal method of obtaining approvals for the right to develop property for a desired use (e.g. rezoning).

In computer security, entitlement can also refer to access control.

References

1. http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20030828.html
2. "Federal entitlement programs more costly".