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
In a culture obsessed with self-improvement, doing something badly and privately can feel almost rebellious.
—
Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Some commanders paid lip service to the agreement, the soldiers said, while privately voicing desire for the war in Gaza to continue.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
The college privately disciplined the students who dressed up as Native Americans but chose not to discipline all of the partygoers.
—Ingrid A. Nelson, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
The summit coincided with a wave of civilian and military prisoner releases in Caracas, developments that opposition figures privately described as an important source of leverage in shaping negotiations with the interim government.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026
Bondi, after initially resisting a congressional subpoena, met privately with the committee on Friday morning, ignoring reporters’ questions on her way in and out of the hearing room.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
Alfonsi complained privately that the decision was political.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Fortune, 29 May 2026
But privately, there were times Halverson struggled.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 28 May 2026
In the past few months, Jenner and Chalamet have been spending lots of time together both publicly and privately.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Some commanders paid lip service to the agreement, the soldiers said, while privately voicing desire for the war in Gaza to continue.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
The college privately disciplined the students who dressed up as Native Americans but chose not to discipline all of the partygoers.
—Ingrid A. Nelson, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
The summit coincided with a wave of civilian and military prisoner releases in Caracas, developments that opposition figures privately described as an important source of leverage in shaping negotiations with the interim government.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026
Bondi, after initially resisting a congressional subpoena, met privately with the committee on Friday morning, ignoring reporters’ questions on her way in and out of the hearing room.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
Alfonsi complained privately that the decision was political.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Fortune, 29 May 2026
But privately, there were times Halverson struggled.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 28 May 2026
In the past few months, Jenner and Chalamet have been spending lots of time together both publicly and privately.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for privately
Adverb
-
However, Jimmy discovers that Michael was secretly selling the voice and likeness of clients to AI companies without their consent and uses that revelation to blackmail him into stepping down.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Sun also pleaded guilty to charges that accused him of secretly working for China and was sentenced this year to four years in prison.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Adverb
-
SpaceX confidentially filed with the Securities Exchange Commission in April and is set to debut with Nasdaq early next month.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
-
Last week, the company filed confidentially for an initial public offering, and plans to make its stock-market debut later this year, Bloomberg News has reported.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Privately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/privately. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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