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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
And when the owner of the second-largest private company in the United States speaks, there’s an oracle-like aura that demands parsing.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 May 2025
Each silo features modern amenities like plush beds, kitchenettes, private patios, and climate control, all while keeping a rustic, back-to-the-land feel that fits the Montana landscape.
—Joni Sweet, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The current database mainly consists of public regional or flagship colleges and universities, too, with approximately 28 percent of the nearly 250 colleges being private.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Save for a few interviews, Rihanna and Rocky, who have been together since 2020, have kept the details of their young sons' lives private.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for private
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 May 2025
Each silo features modern amenities like plush beds, kitchenettes, private patios, and climate control, all while keeping a rustic, back-to-the-land feel that fits the Montana landscape.
—Joni Sweet, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The current database mainly consists of public regional or flagship colleges and universities, too, with approximately 28 percent of the nearly 250 colleges being private.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Save for a few interviews, Rihanna and Rocky, who have been together since 2020, have kept the details of their young sons' lives private.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for private
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private
Adjective
-
But in a possible attempt to discredit Pryor, her name and some details of her confidential complaint, available only to the mayor, commissioners and senior city employees, have been circulated publicly.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2025
-
The organizations kept talking, though, and agreed to settle for a confidential sum, averting a jury trial.—
Kevin Williams,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Gaddafi agreed to suspend his country's nuclear weapons program in December 2003, following years of clandestine negotiations that began during the Clinton administration and continued under George W. Bush.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
-
The Gestapo, Hitler’s secret police, combed the Poles’ ranks in search of men with experience in clandestine resistance organizations.—
Paul Hockenos,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
By considering factors such as body shapes, personal preferences, specific occasions, lifestyle needs, and even subtle style nuances, Gensmo generates actionable, individualized style recommendations tailored precisely to each user.—
Jon Stojan,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
-
That's the low-hanging fruit of personal accomplishment.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
The same goes for other civil defendants who may have reached previously secret plea deals that will be revealed during Combs’ trial.—
Gina Barton,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
-
Turns out, there’s a secret tidal beach below the turrets with sublime views of the Atlantic.—
Christopher Bagley,
Travel + Leisure,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
Samuel French, a Texas actor on the rise who portrayed the undercover FBI agent CJ Robinson in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, has died.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2025
-
Pisano has been with the show since his 2021 debut as undercover officer Detective Joe Velasco.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
This would suggest pockets of water in deep underground aquifers.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
12 May 2025
-
Earlier this year, researchers announced the discovery of a brick underground aqueduct in Slovakia.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Coffee taste is subjective, and this super-rich and caramel-forward blend is extremely drinkable and reminds me of working from the coffee shop down the street from my house.—
Joe Jackson,
Outside Online,
12 May 2025
-
However, a driver is not legally obligated to submit to a field sobriety test, pre-arrest test or cheek swab at a DUI checkpoint, according to the Law Offices of Grech and Parker in Riverside. Field sobriety tests are subjective and may not accurately measure sobriety, according to Bee archives.—
Sarah Linn,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
That includes Tom Cruise, as covert CIA division agent Ethan Hunt, riding a motorcycle off a 4,000-foot cliff and BASE jumping the final 500 feet of a ravine, or the breathless climactic train mayhem in 2023’s Dead Reckoning, the opening installment of this two-parter.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2025
-
In an opinion piece published by the Venezuelan independent newspaper La Razón, former lawmaker Omar González Moreno recounted the covert mission that freed him and four others without a single shot being fired.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share