private

[ prahy-vit ]

adjective

1. belonging to some particular person:

   private property.

2. pertaining to or affecting a particular person or a small group of persons; individual; personal:

   for your private satisfaction.

   Synonyms: peculiar, particular, singular

   Antonyms: public, general

3. confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential:

   a private meeting.

4. personal and not publicly expressed:

   one's private feelings.

5. not holding public office or employment:

   private citizens.

6. 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.

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

   private papers.

8. not open or accessible to the general public:

   a private beach.

9. undertaken individually or personally:

   private research.

10. without the presence of others; alone:

    Let's go into another room where we can be private.

    Synonyms: retired

11. solitary; secluded:

    He wants to meet us in a more private place.

12. preferring privacy; retiring:

    a very private person.

13. intimate; most personal:

    private behavior.

14. 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.

15. of lowest military rank.
16. of, relating to, or coming from nongovernmental sources:

    private funding.

noun

1. a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.
2. privates. private parts.

private

/ ˈpraɪvɪt /

adjective

1. not widely or publicly known

   they had private reasons for the decision

2. confidential; secret

   a private conversation

3. not for general or public use

   a private bathroom

4. prenominal individual; special

   my own private recipe

5. prenominal having no public office, rank, etc

   a private man

6. prenominal denoting a soldier of the lowest military rank

   a private soldier

7. of, relating to, or provided by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public body

   the private sector

   private housing

8. (of a place) retired; sequestered; not overlooked
9. (of a person) reserved; uncommunicative
10. in private
    in private in secret; confidentially

noun

1. a soldier of the lowest rank, sometimes separated into qualification grades, in many armies and marine corps

   private first class

Derived Forms

• ˈprivately, adverb

Other Words From

• private·ly adverb
• private·ness noun
• quasi-private adjective
• quasi-private·ly adverb
• un·private adjective
• un·private·ly adverb
• un·private·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of private¹

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”; deprive, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of private¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in private, not publicly; secretly:

   The hearing will be conducted in private.

More idioms and phrases containing private

In addition to the idiom beginning with private , also see free (private) enterprise ; in private .

Example Sentences

Government and private actors could improve their vaccine rollouts to get more shots in arms faster.

From Vox

The private club that’s reportedly flying wealthy Brits to Dubai for their jabs.

From 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.

From Washington Post

This is perhaps one case where the much-criticized use of private prisons has an advantage over those run by government.

From Washington Post

Soon, the group was back under fire again, though, for posting the private conversations between Horn and Becker.

From Washington Post

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?

From The Daily Beast

The family was taking some private moments for a closing of the coffin in keeping with Chinese ritual.

From The Daily Beast

But while his public profile receded, his private life blossomed.

From The Daily Beast

My nickname was Captain, though I was a private, first class.

From The Daily Beast

The role of private investigators has stirred controversy in the investigation.

From The Daily Beast

Dean Swift was indeed a misanthrope by theory, however he may have made exception to private life.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

The private chapel, built out from the house on the side next Calne, had not been used for years and years.

From Project Gutenberg

Proof was given to him, of Elizabeth having admitted Ripperda to private political discussions in the Altheim apartments.

From Project Gutenberg

The two enjoyed a mutual understanding from which he was excluded, a private intimacy that was spiritual, mental,— physical.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• soldier