private

1 not known or meant to be known by the general populace that he is planning to retire is private information until he makes a public announcement Synonyms behind-the-scenes, confidential, esoteric, hushed, hush-hush, inside, intimate, nonpublic, privy, secret Related Words classified, restricted, top secret; silent, unadvertised, unannounced, undisclosed, unmentioned, unsaid, untold; clandestine, closet, collusive, conspiratorial, covert; furtive, hugger-mugger, occult, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded; personal; closeted, concealed, hidden; repressed, silenced, stifled, suppressed; backstage, offscreen, offstage Near Antonyms well-known; advertised, aired, announced, blazed, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged, enunciated, heralded, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, publicized, published, reported, spotlighted; general, popular, prevailing, vulgar; current, prevalent, rife, widespread; communal, shared Antonyms common, open, public

2 undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others a private investigation of the organization's activities Synonyms backstairs, behind-the-scenes, clandestine, covert, furtive, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, privy, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealth, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhandedRelated Words back-channel, closed-door, off-the-books, off-the-record; classified, confidential, restricted, top secret, undisclosed; concealed, hidden, secreted, subterranean, unadvertised, unexposedNear Antonyms acknowledged, avowed; aboveboard, straightforward, unconcealed, undisguised; unclassified, unrestricted; clear, evident, manifest, obvious, patent, plainAntonyms open, overt, public

3 of, relating to, or belonging to a single person club lockers in which private property may be stored Synonyms idiomatic, individualized, particular, patented, peculiar, personal, personalized, individual, privy, separate, singular, subjective, uniqueRelated Words characteristic, distinctive, intimate; identifying, idiosyncratic; especial, express, special, specific; independent, nonconformist, self-directed, self-sufficient; custom, customized, specializedNear Antonyms broad, prevailing, prevalent, widespread; common, normal, regular, typicalAntonyms general, generic, popular, public, shared, universal