Entitlement

An entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation. A "right" is itself an entitlement associated with a moral or social principle, such that an "entitlement" is a provision made in accordance with legal framework of a society. Typically, entitlements are laws based on concepts of principle ("rights") which are themselves based in concepts of social equality or enfranchisement.

In a casual sense, the term "entitlement" refers to a notion or belief that one (or oneself) is deserving of some particular reward or benefit &mdash;if given without deeper legal or principled cause, the term is often given with pejorative connotation (e.g. a "sense of entitlement").

Terminology
As a legal term, entitlement carries no value judgment: it simply denotes a right granted.

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.