A privilege is the right of an account, such as a user or group account, to perform various system-related operations on the local computer, such as shutting down the system, loading device drivers, or changing the system time.

A system of privilege—a family, a workplace, a society—is organized around three basic principles: dominance, identification, and centeredness. A system of white privilege, for example, is white-dominated, which means the default is for white people to occupy positions of power.

In a technology environment, privileged access refers to accounts with elevated capabilities beyond regular users. For example, in a Linux environment, the root user can add, amend or delete users; install and uninstall software and access restricted parts of operating systems that are off-limits to a standard user.

In computing, privilege is defined as the delegation of authority to perform security-relevant functions on a computer system. A privilege allows a user to perform an action with security consequences. Examples of various privileges include the ability to create a new user, install software, or change kernel functions.