privacy

noun

pri·​va·​cy ˈprī-və-sē 

especially British ˈpri-

plural privacies

1

a

: the quality or state of being apart from company or observation : seclusion

b

: freedom from unauthorized intrusion

one's right to privacy

2

a

: secrecy

b

: a private matter : secret

3

archaic : a place of seclusion

Synonyms of privacy

• solitude
• isolation

Examples of privacy in a Sentence

She went upstairs for some privacy.

Celebrities have a right to privacy.

Recent Examples on the Web

In those cases, teleoperation raises concerns about privacy and preventing abuse of the ability to see into a robot owner's personal spaces. — New Atlas, 25 July 2026

A lot of that is listening to what the customer needs, building features in a great way, building trust, thinking about data privacy. — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 25 July 2026

His lawyers argued that Biden's privacy interests outweigh the public's interest in hearing the tapes and that multiple laws prevent their release. — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 25 July 2026

Lawmakers say the provision is aimed at addressing national security and data privacy concerns associated with autonomous systems that could collect sensitive information or introduce vulnerabilities into military operations. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing privacy

• invade someone's privacy
• invasion of (someone's) privacy

Kids Definition

privacy

noun

pri·​va·​cy ˈprī-və-sē 

plural privacies

1

a

: the quality or state of being out of the sight and hearing of other people : seclusion

the privacy of the home

b

: freedom from being intruded upon

one's right to privacy

2

: secrecy sense 2

talk in privacy

Legal Definition

privacy

noun

pri·​va·​cy

: freedom from unauthorized intrusion : state of being let alone and able to keep certain especially personal matters to oneself see also expectation of privacy, invasion of privacy, privacy interest at interest sense 3b, right of privacy, Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade