privilegio
nounCEFR B2
What does “privilegio” mean in English?
1.privilege — an unearned advantage or benefit enjoyed by a person or group due to social position or circumstances
privilege — an unearned advantage or benefit enjoyed by a person or group due to social position or circumstances (reconocer el privilegio)
2.privilege, entitlement — an advantage available only to particular people
privilege, entitlement — an advantage available only to particular people (el privilegio de; un privilegio de clase)
Example sentences
Reconocer el privilegio del que uno disfruta es el primer paso para contribuir a una sociedad más equitativa.
Recognising the privilege one enjoys is the first step towards contributing to a more equitable society.
Acceder a una buena educación no debería ser un privilegio de quienes pueden permitírselo, sino un derecho universal.
Accessing a good education should not be a privilege for those who can afford it, but a universal right.
How to use it
El privilegio means 'privilege' — an advantage, right, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by a particular person or group, not available to others. At B2 it is used both in the traditional neutral sense (the privilege of being invited) and in the politically charged contemporary sense of unearned social advantage (white privilege, class privilege): el privilegio de clase, el privilegio blanco, reconocer el propio privilegio. Key collocations: disfrutar de un privilegio, un privilegio histórico, cuestionar el privilegio, renunciar a un privilegio. The politically charged sense has entered Spanish-language journalism and academia directly from the English 'privilege' discourse.
Common mistake
Privilegio in the contemporary social-justice sense (unearned structural advantage) is sometimes resisted in European Spanish; some style guides prefer ventaja estructural or desigualdad de acceso for formal academic writing. Both forms appear in B2 texts, so learners need to recognise both framings.