private

[ prahy-vit ]

/ ˈpraɪ vɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR private 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.

Idioms for private

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

Origin of private

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin prīvātus private, literally, taken away (from public affairs), special use of past participle of prīvāre to rob. See deprive, -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR private

2 singular, particular, peculiar.

10 sequestered, retired.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR private ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR private

2 general, public.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR private ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM private

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

Words nearby private

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

British Dictionary definitions for in private

private

/ (ˈpraɪvɪt) /

adjective

not widely or publicly known they had private reasons for the decision

confidential; secret a private conversation

not for general or public use a private bathroom

(prenominal) individual; special my own private recipe

(prenominal) having no public office, rank, etc a private man

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

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

(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 corps private 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

Idioms and Phrases with in private (1 of 2)

in private

Not in public; secretly, confidentially. For example, The hearings will be conducted in private, or May I speak to you in private? [Late 1500s] For an antonym, see in public.

Idioms and Phrases with in private (2 of 2)

private

In addition to the idiom beginning with private

private eye

also see:

free (private) enterprise
in private

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

private

adjective

noun

Idioms for private

Origin of private

SYNONYMS FOR private

ANTONYMS FOR private

OTHER WORDS FROM private

Words nearby private

British Dictionary definitions for in private

adjective

noun

Derived forms of private

Word Origin for private

Idioms and Phrases with in private (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with in private (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

private

adjective

noun

Idioms for private

Origin of private

SYNONYMS FOR private

ANTONYMS FOR private

OTHER WORDS FROM private

Words nearby private

Words related to in private

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for in private

adjective

noun

Derived forms of private

Word Origin for private

Idioms and Phrases with in private (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with in private (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for in private