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private

adjective

ˈprī-vət How to pronounce private (audio)
Definition of privatenext
1
as in confidential
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others a private investigation of the organization's activities

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in personal
of, relating to, or belonging to a single person club lockers in which private property may be stored

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of private Big agriculture, private security firms, international drug cartels — all are choked out by Reacher’s big ol’ biceps. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 Younesi and Burke say that the build of the SuperCinema campus will be financed City National Bank and private investors. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 The city's Planning and Zoning committee recommended approving the permit in August, citing adequate space, parking, and other needs to hold the event on private property. — Eric Valadez, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 The extensive gardens behind the house include terraces notched into the hillside with a lagoon-style pool and a private amphitheater. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for private
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private
  1. confidential
  2. clandestine
  3. personal
  4. secret
  5. undercover
  6. personalized
  7. underground
  8. subjective
Adjective
  • Trials also risk exposing confidential information during court proceedings.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos’ allies, voted overwhelmingly in May to impeach Duterte over allegations of unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential state funds and the online news conference threats.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of confidential
Adjective
  • Across Greengrass’ three Bourne movies, the elite assassin turns against the clandestine institution that created him, determined to escape its grip and bring its covert operations to light.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Or that the Apollo moon landing in 1969 was staged, the video shot on some clandestine movie set.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • Alas, poor Bryan is about to learn the hard way that change — as the saying goes — is as hard to outrun as an ever-growing zombie rat king with 37 different limbs and a weirdly personal vendetta.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In 1981, Soviet spy Vladimir Kuzichkin offered up critical insider information on Iran’s Tudeh Party to Britain’s MI6 in exchange for discreet assistance with a personal affliction that was at the heart of his marital troubles.
    — Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of personal
Adjective
  • National Sugar Day is October 15, so maybe that’s when Swift’s going to share her secret announcement.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Based on the novel by Daniel Pinkwater, Lizard Music follows a boy (Leber) left to his own devices who stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing otherworldly music — a hidden door to the extraordinary then swinging open.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of secret
Adjective
  • Two men, ages 89 and 73, were caught with a house full of cocaine, marijuana and guns after Miami police conducted a raid Wednesday afternoon following an undercover sting in August, according to their arrest reports.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Jackson was particularly vocal in her criticism of the show’s shallow scripts, which featured plotlines about them going undercover as French maids, showgirls, lifeguards and, perhaps most infamously, prison inmates.
    — Michael Callahan, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • That creates a problem for the growing push towards personalized AI.
    — Paul Jones, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The Black Cat style is also expected to include true-to-original details including heel Nike Air stitching and Jordan’s personalized number 23 embroidery.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of personalized
Adjective
  • In Britain’s North Yorkshire, researchers have established an underground farming facility more than 1,000 meters below ground to test how crops can be cultivated deep beneath the surface.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Unmade follows the legendary underground filmmaker through three years of terminal illness—not as a farewell portrait, but as a final, uncompromising work of his own cinema.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of underground
Adjective
  • Further, referees are heavily incentivised by professional pride and financial rewards to get the key decisions right or choose the best option if a call is highly subjective.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But simple is subjective, and astronomers have spent the last year in a lively debate about what’s really going on.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of subjective

Phrases Containing private

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privacy
private
private detective
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Cite this Entry

“Private.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about private

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