protected

The word “protected” means kept safe from harm, damage, or destruction. In plain terms, kept safe by some rule, law, or barrier — or, in coding, restricted to a class and its subclasses.

“Protected” is pronounced pruh-TEHK-tihd (/pɹəˈtɛktɪd/ in IPA).

Here is “protected” used in a sentence: “This species is protected under national law.”

The opposite of “protected” — its antonyms — are improtected, non-protected and unprotected.

“Protected” is an adjective.

“Protected” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Protected” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: kept safe from harm, damage, or destruction.

'Safe' describes a state of being free from danger, while 'protected' emphasises that something is actively shielded or guarded against harm. A place can be safe simply because no threat exists; something protected is safe because a barrier, rule, or guardian is deliberately keeping harm away.

In legal terms, 'protected' means something is given special safeguards under the law. A protected species cannot be hunted, a protected building cannot be altered freely, and protected characteristics — such as age or religion — cannot be used as grounds for discrimination. The label grants formal defence.

The opposite of protected is exposed, vulnerable, or unprotected — describing something left open to harm or danger with nothing shielding it. An unprotected device, area, or person has no defence in place, which is exactly the risk that being protected is meant to remove.

You might say 'the data is protected by a password,' meaning it is kept safe from unauthorised access, or 'the coast is a protected area,' meaning it is legally safeguarded from development. In each case something stands guard between the thing and possible harm.