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

• aloneness
• insulation
• isolation
• secludedness
• seclusion
• segregation
• separateness
• sequestration
• solitariness
• solitude

Examples of privacy in a Sentence

She went upstairs for some privacy.

Celebrities have a right to privacy.

Recent Examples on the Web

And expectations from users—around performance, privacy and trust—are higher than ever. —Gopinath Kathiresan, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025

The couple spent nearly 19 years trying to get pregnant, and Rosie—who asked to use a pseudonym to protect her privacy—says their Orthodox Jewish faith kept them hopeful during 15 unsuccessful IVF cycles. —Alice Park, Time, 10 June 2025

In the end, in part to preserve the privacy of her medical records, Lively dropped those claims, insisting they were essentially covered by other portions of her filing. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 June 2025

Scraping Reddit content is portrayed as undermining Reddit’s obligations to its more than 100 million daily active unique users, including to protect their privacy. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 June 2025

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