private secretary

American  

noun

1. a person who attends to the individual or confidential correspondence, files, etc., of a business executive, official, or the like.

---

private secretary British  

noun

1. a secretary entrusted with the personal and confidential matters of a business executive

2. a civil servant who acts as aide to a minister or senior government official Compare parliamentary private secretary

---

Etymology

Origin of private secretary

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

private secretary

The outgoing principal private secretary had an annual pay package of £300,000 to £305,000.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

According to notes recorded by John Coles, Thatcher's private secretary, Reagan's view and that of the president of Brazil was that "the best chance for peace was before complete Argentine humiliation".

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

Lewis, Jefferson’s private secretary, had grown up a rambler and a keen observer of the natural world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

On 8 February 2010, the then-Prince Andrew’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk wrote to Epstein on behalf of Ferguson, to invite him to Andrew's 50th birthday party later that month at St James's Palace in London.

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026

"I was private secretary to the president of Schultz Sausages. Poor Mr. Schultz, I don't know how he'll manage without me."

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin