as in secretly
in a manner intended to prevent knowledge or awareness by others
she confided to me privately that she was considering divorce
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Recent Examples of privately
His sister took four days to respond, privately, with two sentences.
—
Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Meanwhile, Hester has been privately dealing with mental lapses and throbbing headaches, refraining from telling her family about the medical tests her doctor ordered.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
And quite frankly Johansson has never been better as a Queens mom and wife privately cracking but keeping it hidden from her family.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 May 2026
The other has been privately hoping to change careers.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
The housing complex is privately managed and operated by Greystar, according to the university's website and Balta.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 15 May 2026
According to court documents, Yves Bouvier purchased the work for $60 million privately from Sotheby’s, then sold it to Dmitry Rybolovlev for $85 million, part of the series of markups that constituted the alleged scam.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
Some Democratic donors, strategists and party leaders from other states have privately pushed back, insisting Democrats should not look past their own nominees for short-term political gain.
—Steve Peoples, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Those apartments are privately managed and located off campus, but are listed on the University of Washington's website as an option for undergraduate housing.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Meanwhile, Hester has been privately dealing with mental lapses and throbbing headaches, refraining from telling her family about the medical tests her doctor ordered.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
And quite frankly Johansson has never been better as a Queens mom and wife privately cracking but keeping it hidden from her family.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 May 2026
The other has been privately hoping to change careers.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
The housing complex is privately managed and operated by Greystar, according to the university's website and Balta.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 15 May 2026
According to court documents, Yves Bouvier purchased the work for $60 million privately from Sotheby’s, then sold it to Dmitry Rybolovlev for $85 million, part of the series of markups that constituted the alleged scam.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
Some Democratic donors, strategists and party leaders from other states have privately pushed back, insisting Democrats should not look past their own nominees for short-term political gain.
—Steve Peoples, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Those apartments are privately managed and located off campus, but are listed on the University of Washington's website as an option for undergraduate housing.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for privately
Adverb
-
The fantasy drama follows 10-year-old Bernardo, who after his father’s death, clings fiercely to his mother while secretly caring for an injured baby goat deep in the rainforest.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
In Sylvie’s imagination, Nita becomes Anna, a sultry beauty with a cruel streak who has been dating the meek Christophe (Niney) while secretly engaging in an affair with their married boss, Pierre (Cassel).—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
SpaceX confidentially filed initial public offering (IPO) paperwork last month.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
-
Most public charities are used to reporting major donors confidentially to the IRS on Schedule B, with donor names redacted from public filings.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Privately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/privately. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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