private

[ prahy-vit ]

/ ˈpraɪ vɪt /

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See synonyms for: private / privates / privately / privateness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

belonging to some particular person: private property.

pertaining to or affecting a particular person or a small group of persons; individual; personal: for your private satisfaction.

confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential: a private meeting.

personal and not publicly expressed: one's private feelings.

not holding public office or employment: private citizens.

not of an official or public character; unrelated to one's official job or position: a former senator who has returned to private life;a college president speaking in his private capacity as a legal expert.

removed from or out of public view or knowledge; secret: private papers.

not open or accessible to the general public: a private beach.

undertaken individually or personally: private research.

without the presence of others; alone: Let's go into another room where we can be private.

solitary; secluded: He wants to meet us in a more private place.

preferring privacy; retiring: a very private person.

intimate; most personal: private behavior.

of, having, or receiving special hospital facilities, privileges, and services, especially a room of one's own and liberal visiting hours: a private room;a private patient.

of lowest military rank.

of, relating to, or coming from nongovernmental sources: private funding.

noun

a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.

privates. private parts.

OTHER WORDS FOR private

2 singular, particular, peculiar.

10 sequestered, retired.

See synonyms for private on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR private

2 general, public.

See antonyms for private on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about private

in private, not publicly; secretly: The hearing will be conducted in private.

Origin of private

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prīvātus “private,” literally, “taken away (from public affairs),” special use of past participle of prīvāre “to rob”; see deprive, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM private

pri·vate·ly, adverbpri·vate·ness, nounquasi-private, adjectivequa·si-pri·vate·ly, adverb

un·pri·vate, adjectiveun·pri·vate·ly, adverbun·pri·vate·ness, noun

Words nearby private

prius, priv., privacy, privacy, right of, privatdocent, private, private bar, private bill, private brand, private company, private detective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use private in a sentence

Government and private actors could improve their vaccine rollouts to get more shots in arms faster.
Good news about America’s Covid-19 vaccine campaign|German Lopez|February 12, 2021|Vox
The private club that’s reportedly flying wealthy Brits to Dubai for their jabs.
Don’t hate the vaccine tourists, hate the vaccine game|Jen Kirby|February 12, 2021|Vox
I grew up feeling very private and embarrassed about human sexuality and bodies, and I don’t want my children to feel like that.
A feminine wash for teens? Angry parents and gynecologists are on a social media crusade.|Abigail Higgins|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
This is perhaps one case where the much-criticized use of private prisons has an advantage over those run by government.
U.S. Marshals Service’s lax covid-19 oversight of some inmates reflects a larger problem|Joe Davidson|February 12, 2021|Washington Post

Soon, the group was back under fire again, though, for posting the private conversations between Horn and Becker.
Lincoln Project tweeted a co-founder’s private messages after leaders promised to probe sexual harassment claims|Andrea Salcedo|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The family was taking some private moments for a closing of the coffin in keeping with Chinese ritual.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But while his public profile receded, his private life blossomed.
Ed Brooke: The Senate's Civil Rights Pioneer and Prophet of a Post-Racial America|John Avlon|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
My nickname was Captain, though I was a private, first class.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The role of private investigators has stirred controversy in the investigation.
U.S. Spies Say They Tracked ‘Sony Hackers’ For Years|Shane Harris|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Dean Swift was indeed a misanthrope by theory, however he may have made exception to private life.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
But if what I told him were true, he was still at a loss how a kingdom could run out of its estate like a private person.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
The private chapel, built out from the house on the side next Calne, had not been used for years and years.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Proof was given to him, of Elizabeth having admitted Ripperda to private political discussions in the Altheim apartments.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The two enjoyed a mutual understanding from which he was excluded, a private intimacy that was spiritual, mental,— physical.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for private

private

/ (ˈpraɪvɪt) /

adjective

not widely or publicly knownthey had private reasons for the decision

confidential; secreta private conversation

not for general or public usea private bathroom

(prenominal) individual; specialmy own private recipe

(prenominal) having no public office, rank, etca private man

(prenominal) denoting a soldier of the lowest military ranka private soldier

of, relating to, or provided by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public bodythe private sector; private housing

(of a place) retired; sequestered; not overlooked

(of a person) reserved; uncommunicative

in private in secret; confidentially

noun

a soldier of the lowest rank, sometimes separated into qualification grades, in many armies and marine corpsprivate first class

Derived forms of private

privately, adverb

Word Origin for private

C14: from Latin prīvātus belonging to one individual, withdrawn from public life, from prīvāre to deprive, bereave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with private

private

In addition to the idiom beginning with private

private eye

also see:

free (private) enterprise
in private

private

OTHER WORDS FOR private

OPPOSITES FOR private

Idioms about private

Origin of private

OTHER WORDS FROM private

Words nearby private

Words related to private

How to use private in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for private

Derived forms of private

Word Origin for private

Other Idioms and Phrases with private