privacy

[ prahy-vuh-see; British also priv-uh-see ]

noun

, plural pri·va·cies

1. the state of being apart from other people or concealed from their view; solitude; seclusion:

   Please leave the room and give me some privacy.

2. the state of being free from unwanted or undue intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs; freedom to be let alone: invasion of privacy.

   Tourists must respect the tribe’s privacy.

   Those who wish to smoke can do so in the privacy of their own homes.

3. freedom from damaging publicity, public scrutiny, secret surveillance, or unauthorized disclosure of one’s personal data or information, as by a government, corporation, or individual:

   Ordinary citizens have a qualified right to privacy.

   There is so much information about us online that personal privacy may be a thing of the past.

4. the state of being concealed; secrecy:

   Before he told us of his plans, he insisted on total privacy.

5. Usually privacies. Archaic. a personal matter that is concealed; a secret.
6. Archaic. a private or secluded place.

privacy

/ ˈpraɪvəsɪ; ˈprɪvəsɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being private or withdrawn; seclusion
2. the condition of being secret; secrecy
3. philosophy the condition of being necessarily restricted to a single person

Word History and Origins

Origin of privacy¹

First recorded in 1400–50, privacy is from the late Middle English word privace. See private, -acy

Synonym Study

Privacy, secrecy, isolation, and sequestration all refer to keeping someone or something protected or hidden from others. Privacy and secrecy are particularly concerned with preventing others from knowing about one's actions, thoughts, and communications. In general, secrecy implies that people who are not directly involved in a matter are completely unaware of it; whereas privacy implies only that those who are not involved, though aware of the matter, are prevented from knowing the details. For example, a teenager might keep a private diary, which her parents know about but which is kept locked so that they cannot read it, or a secret diary, the very existence of which is kept hidden from her parents. Or the leaders of two countries might meet in private, meaning that the fact of the meeting might be widely known but only the leaders themselves know what they said to each other; but if they want to meet in secret, they take steps to prevent the general public from finding out that the meeting took place at all. Isolation and sequestration generally signify physical separation. In contrast to privacy and secrecy, which are usually sought by the individuals involved, isolation and sequestration are often imposed by others. For example, a vulnerable medical patient might be kept in isolation to protect him from acquiring an infection through contact with others, or a prisoner might be placed in isolation —that is, in solitary confinement—as punishment for an infraction. Sequestration can refer to things as well as to people, and is most often used to specify separation in technical or legal contexts: Carbon sequestration in the coal industry can potentially alleviate the problem of global warming; Sequestration of the jury she was serving on kept her away from her family for weeks; Until its leaders comply with international agreements, sequestration of that nation's overseas bank accounts will remain in effect. One wants to keep one's secrets secret, and as well, keep many aspects of one's life private. But the ability of powerful corporations, government intelligence agencies, online stores, social media, or even individual thieves to reach and probe into our personal communications, buying habits, financial resources, circle of friends, and general lifestyle poses threats to one's privacy. Fortunately, for most people, reasonable precautions are usually enough to allow them to engage in normal activities without great worry.

Example Sentences

Efforts to collect and mine health data have triggered alarms from privacy advocates in the past.

From Fortune

With this enabler, we accelerated our digital plans several-fold while ensuring safety, privacy, and optimal outcomes.

From Fortune

If that lawsuit is successful, no UC school could use its internal definition of privacy as a justification for defying the California Public Records Act in the future.

From Voice of San Diego

In other words, the university argued that its own definition of privacy overrides the public’s right to know.

From Voice of San Diego

Methods, such as device fingerprinting, are also under siege for compromising people’s privacy.

From Digiday

Privacy advocates such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation say everyone should use it.

From The Daily Beast

It almost makes you wonder if Lizard Squad did this just to annoy Anonymous and the other earnest champions of privacy.

From The Daily Beast

Aside from reaching an international audience, leaving Oz had another benefit—no more silly intrusions into her privacy.

From The Daily Beast

Entries are subject to all notices posted online including but not limited to privacy policies of the Sponsor.

From The Daily Beast

Twitter seems to be the most upstanding in terms of privacy of its customers.

From The Daily Beast

In a conducted tour, I soon discovered, there was little liberty, to say nothing of privacy.

From Project Gutenberg

In the privacy of Lawrence's room, Carl told his story—a story that Lawrence listened to breathless attention.

From Project Gutenberg

He gestured to Mandleco, who finally took the hint and escorted the visitors into the privacy of the office.

From Project Gutenberg

After that he and Mert, as by a common thought impelled, climbed out and went over to a bushy live oak to confer in privacy.

From Project Gutenberg

She had been right in assuming that he dared not trust himself to the tempting privacy of the letter.

From Project Gutenberg