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

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

How to use private in a sentence

For private events, crowd sizes are limited to 25 people, indoors and outside.
Virginia’s coronavirus numbers are rising. Here’s what you need to know.|Antonio Olivo|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
He asked a private gym in New Jersey, but then the state announced travel restrictions.
For undrafted NFL rookies, the odds were even longer this year. Isaiah Wright made it anyway.|Sam Fortier|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
The spirit of Mexico’s water laws mean proposals like Comice’s can’t promise the same kind of private financing WinWerks can.
Two Companies See a Golden Opportunity in the Tijuana River’s Brown Waters|MacKenzie Elmer|November 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego
My daughter’s small private school, which we loved, had given us the option of going virtual in light of the pandemic while still offering face-to-face learning to those who needed it.
Distance learning was a disaster. So I decided to teach my daughter myself.|Tracey Lewis-Giggetts|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

With “The Missing American,” Quartey has launched a series with private investigator Emma Djan.
Best thriller and mystery books of 2020|Maureen Corrigan, Richard Lipez|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
But privately, it is listening to other theories, including those about an inside job.
FBI Won’t Stop Blaming North Korea for Sony Hack -- Despite New Evidence|Shane Harris|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I learn by the third day to tell the nurse privately to make mine mostly orange juice.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Donovan had been privately concerned that running statewide would hurt his standing back home.
Meet Dan Donovan, the Prosecutor Who Let Eric Garner’s Killer Walk|David Freedlander|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But privately, according to Trierweiler, Hollande slithered back and attempted to rekindle the mortally wounded relationship.
Hell Hath No Fury Like Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Ex|Lizzie Crocker|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Designed for “special missions,” the privately owned company is capable of transporting precious cargo anywhere in the world.
The American Ebola Rescue Plan Hinges on One Company. Meet Phoenix.|Abby Haglage|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Neither privately owned nor government stock is entitled to voting power.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Many gallants 'took' their tobacco in the lords room over the stage, and went out to (Saint) Paul's to spit there privately.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
However, he had not and could not see the Bishop privately long enough to secure from him a promise.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
If your intimacy will allow it, speak of the fault upon another occasion, kindly and privately, or let it pass.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
He, at any rate, was not likely to have moved a finger against Bruce; on the contrary, he no doubt privately aided him.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison

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 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