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
On June 12, The Edge engaged privately with Dine Brands.
—
Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Teammates privately questioned Thomson’s handling of the situation.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The Brigantine restaurant group expects to privately finance the project with a combination of debt and equity, Morton said.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
Back in May, Kotb exclusively revealed to PEOPLE that her daughter Hope had been privately diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease which prevents the pancreas from making its own insulin, requiring vigilant blood sugar monitoring and frequent insulin injections.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group is privately financing the real estate acquisition and construction costs of the stadium, a multi-billion dollar investment.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 2025
Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Teammates privately questioned Thomson’s handling of the situation.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The Brigantine restaurant group expects to privately finance the project with a combination of debt and equity, Morton said.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
Back in May, Kotb exclusively revealed to PEOPLE that her daughter Hope had been privately diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease which prevents the pancreas from making its own insulin, requiring vigilant blood sugar monitoring and frequent insulin injections.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group is privately financing the real estate acquisition and construction costs of the stadium, a multi-billion dollar investment.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for privately
Adverb
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Inside each faux drawer are two shelves designed to secretly house shoes.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Sep. 2025
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Less than 24 hours after news broke of Nina Dobrev and Shaun White’s breakup, fans are speculating that The Vampire Diaries star secretly hinted at her ex cheating on her.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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So these cases are almost always settled confidentially.—
Stayton Bonner,
Robb Report,
24 Aug. 2025
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Tips can be made to the Arson Watch Reward Program confidentially and anonymously, fire officials said.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Privately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/privately. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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