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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of privately
Mamdani and Charles briefly exchanged words at the 9/11 memorial on April 29 but did not meet privately during the visit.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 May 2026
On Friday, Makary was privately dismissing the reports of his imminent ouster as false, those people said.
—Sarah Owermohle, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
The campus is now privately owned and in the process of restoration.
—Noel Brennan, CBS News, 8 May 2026
The status of individual license offices may vary, as many of them are privately owned.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
The land is privately owned, but huge swaths are managed to provide habitat for rare and endangered species that once thrived in the West.
—Drew Kann, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
His ex-wife told the Herald over the phone that her family was grieving privately at this time.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026
Energage shares the results with each organization privately.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
What the groom didn't know was that the bride privately called their photographer, Ashlyn Harrop, beforehand to plan the perfect prank.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 May 2026
On Friday, Makary was privately dismissing the reports of his imminent ouster as false, those people said.
—Sarah Owermohle, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
The campus is now privately owned and in the process of restoration.
—Noel Brennan, CBS News, 8 May 2026
The status of individual license offices may vary, as many of them are privately owned.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
The land is privately owned, but huge swaths are managed to provide habitat for rare and endangered species that once thrived in the West.
—Drew Kann, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
His ex-wife told the Herald over the phone that her family was grieving privately at this time.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026
Energage shares the results with each organization privately.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
What the groom didn't know was that the bride privately called their photographer, Ashlyn Harrop, beforehand to plan the perfect prank.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for privately
Adverb
-
Shortly after, RadarOnline reported that she and Curtis secretly got engaged.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
8 May 2026
-
Prior to this conversation, Carmy secretly removed his name from the restaurant's partnership agreement.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
6 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 12 May. 2026.
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