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
The next day, journalists privately expressed doubts about whether a redo could or should happen.
—
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
People may carry pain privately for long periods of time, delay seeking care or minimize their own experiences, even in spaces that are meant to support them.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
Years earlier, Alice had privately admitted to killing Holtz after going to confession before joining the Third Order Secular of Carmelites, a Roman Catholic organization.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
Charlotte is expected to spend her birthday privately with her family.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
The trademark has sparked debate across the bean community, with critics arguing ‘bean club’ is too generic to be privately owned and supporters saying Sando should protect his business.
—Angela Osorio, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
The vulnerability and exploit code that exploits it were released Wednesday evening by researchers from security firm Theori, five weeks after privately disclosing it to the Linux kernel security team.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Traffic studies and access plans will be completed and submitted as part of the formal review process, and any infrastructure improvements required to serve the campus will be privately funded, according to the website.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
The two had a brief exchange at the memorial, but were not scheduled to meet privately during the visit.
—Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
People may carry pain privately for long periods of time, delay seeking care or minimize their own experiences, even in spaces that are meant to support them.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
Years earlier, Alice had privately admitted to killing Holtz after going to confession before joining the Third Order Secular of Carmelites, a Roman Catholic organization.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
Charlotte is expected to spend her birthday privately with her family.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
The trademark has sparked debate across the bean community, with critics arguing ‘bean club’ is too generic to be privately owned and supporters saying Sando should protect his business.
—Angela Osorio, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
The vulnerability and exploit code that exploits it were released Wednesday evening by researchers from security firm Theori, five weeks after privately disclosing it to the Linux kernel security team.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Traffic studies and access plans will be completed and submitted as part of the formal review process, and any infrastructure improvements required to serve the campus will be privately funded, according to the website.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
The two had a brief exchange at the memorial, but were not scheduled to meet privately during the visit.
—Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for privately
Adverb
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly ordered the Israeli military to send an Iron Dome interceptor battery - and soldiers to operate it - to the UAE after a call with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a move that demonstrates just how far ties have come.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
-
The latest lawsuit claims that a woman was a member of the swim school in 2023 when she was secretly recorded in the changing room.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Adverb
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SpaceX has already filed confidentially with the SEC and is reportedly expected to launch its roadshow in mid-June for an IPO that could value the company in the trillions of dollars.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
-
Fervo Energy filed confidentially in January for a geothermal IPO.—
Tenzin Seldon,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Privately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/privately. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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