private en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- [ˈpʰɹɑjvət] (British, Southern, Standard)
- [ˈpʰɹaɪ̯vɪt] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpɹaɪ.vət/
- (US) audio
- [ˈpʰɾəɪ̯və(ʔ)] Dublin
- /praj.veʈ/ (South-Asia)
- [ˈpʰɾo̞ɪ̯və(ʔ)] Dublin
- [ˈpʰɹaɪ̯vət̞] (Ireland)
- (General-American) audio
- [ˈpʰɹo̞ɪ̯və(ʔ)] Dublin
- [ˈpɹəjvət] (Canada)
- [ˈpʰɹaɪ̯vɪt] (Canada)
- [ˈpʰɹɑɪ̯vɪt] (Australia)
- [ˈpʰɹəɪ̯və(ʔ)] Dublin
- /ˈpɹaɪ.vɪt/
Etymology
From Middle English privat(e) (“individual, exclusive, private”), from Latin prīvātus (“bereaved, deprived, set apart from, release”), perfect passive participle of prīvō (“to bereave, deprive, release”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more), from prīvus (“private, one's own, proper”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per; compare prime, prior, pristine. Doublet of privy.
Meanings
-
Belonging or pertaining to an individual person, group of people, or entity that is not the state.
In some countries, healthcare is provided by both the government and private companies.
Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16.[…]There are no inspectors, no exams until the age of 18, no school league tables, no private tuition industry, no school uniforms.
2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
-
Relating to an individual or group of individuals outside of their official roles; often, sensitive or personal.
Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:This book is her private journal.
It was a very private thing, they felt, and not to be tossed indiscriminately about.
1968, Carl Ruhen, The Key Club, Sydney: Scripts, page 78:
-
Not publicly known or divulged; secret, confidential; (of a message) intended only for a specific person or group.
The identity of the beneficiaries of the trust is private.
The key point in the original article was that the relationship with the woman, named “Colette,” came to light because Aupetit had sent a private letter meant for her to his secretary instead.
2021 December 12, John L. Allen Jr., “In Vatican’s clumsy stab at censorship, the massage becomes the message”, in Crux:
-
Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded; not publicly accessible.
I invited him to take breakfast with me; he accepted the invitation, and told me he would tell me about himself when we were in a more private place.
1887, George H. Devol, Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi, page 58:Can we go somewhere more private?
-
Not in governmental office or employment.
Military secrets should not be entrusted to unreliable private individuals.
-
Secretive; reserved.
He is a very private person.
-
Not traded by the public.
private equity
Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.
2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
- Of a room in a medical facility, not shared with another patient.
- (of schools) Financially reliant on fees rather than government funding.
- (not-comparable, qualifier:object-oriented programming) Accessible only to the class itself or instances of it, and not to other classes or even subclasses.
- Of the mind or language, not in principle experienceable, knowable, or understandable by others.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most private | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more private | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
published · public · public (antonym(s) of “generally”)
Descendants
Hyponyms
Translations (198)
gd prìobhaideach (not shared with another patient) · cs soukromý (not in governmental office or employment) · cs soukromý (not publicly known; not open; secret) · nn privat (not accessible by the public) · ar خَاصّ (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ka კერძო (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fi rauhallinen (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · nl besloten (not accessible by the public) · mi matatapu (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · la prīvātus (not accessible by the public) · ba шәхси (not accessible by the public) · gd dùinte (secretive; reserved) · fi yksityinen (not in governmental office or employment) · hi निजी (not publicly known; not open; secret) · ga príobháideach (not accessible by the public) · mk та́ен (not publicly known; not open; secret) · ko 사적 (not publicly known; not open; secret) · ko 과묵(寡默)하다 (secretive; reserved) · tpi praivet (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · sh приватан (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · tl pribado (not accessible by the public) · grc ἴδιος (not accessible by the public) · ar شَخْصِيّ (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ar خَاصّ (not accessible by the public) · fi yksityinen (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · ko 사적 (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · mk за́тскриен (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · es privado (not accessible by the public) · it personale (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · da privat (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · da personlig (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · cs soukromý (not shared with another patient) · sh privatan (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · hu magán (not accessible by the public) · ja 私立の (not accessible by the public) · ko 사유 (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ca personal (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ru ли́чный (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · oc privat (not accessible by the public) · hu magán (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ms peribadi (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · pl prywatny (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · id partekelir (not in governmental office or employment) · pl osobisty (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · bg неофициален (not in governmental office or employment) · pt pessoal (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ro privat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · da afsondret (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · cs tajný (not publicly known; not open; secret) · it riservato (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fr personnel (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · cmn 私立 (not accessible by the public) · mk при́ватен (not accessible by the public) · he פרטי (not accessible by the public) · ru ча́стный (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · gd prìobhaideach (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fr personnelle (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · gd prìobhaideach (not in governmental office or employment) · gd uaigneach (not accessible by the public) · nb privat (not accessible by the public) · gd prìobhaideach (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · id pribadi (not accessible by the public) · cs soukromý (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · da privat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · acw شَخْصِي (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fi henkilökohtainen (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · hu zártkörű (not traded by the public) · he פְּרָטִי (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ms persendirian (not accessible by the public) · ca secret (not publicly known; not open; secret) · el ιδιωτικός (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · bg конфиденциален (not publicly known; not open; secret) · cs uzavřený (secretive; reserved) · af privaat (not accessible by the public) · ko 민간 (not in governmental office or employment) · yi פּריוואַט (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ko 비상장 (not traded by the public) · fr privé (not accessible by the public) · ko 비공개 (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · gd prìobhaideach (not publicly known; not open; secret) · ja 私有 (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · nl privé (not accessible by the public) · az şəxsi (not in governmental office or employment) · cmn 私立 (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · grc ἴδιος (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fi yksityinen (not publicly known; not open; secret) · ro privat (not in governmental office or employment) · id privat (not in governmental office or employment) · af privaat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · gd prìobhaideach (not accessible by the public) · fi yksityinen (not accessible by the public) · gd uaigneach (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · ko 사립 (not accessible by the public) · id swasta (not in governmental office or employment) · kix thīngkhéu (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ru ча́стный (not accessible by the public) · uk прива́тний (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ga príobháideach (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · mi tūmataiti (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · da privat (not in governmental office or employment) · ms swasta (not in governmental office or employment) · tl pribado (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ru прива́тный (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · id privat (not accessible by the public) · fi yksityinen (not traded by the public) · ro privat (not accessible by the public) · ko 개인 소유 (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · hu külön (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · el ιδιωτικός (not accessible by the public) · ca reservat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ca privat (not accessible by the public) · cy preifat (not accessible by the public) · pt particular (not accessible by the public) · cs soukromý (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · cs samostatný (not shared with another patient) · gu ખાનગી (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fi yksityis- (not accessible by the public) · bg частен (not accessible by the public) · tcy ಖಾಸ (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fr privé (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · tpi praivet (not accessible by the public) · cmn 私人 (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · az özəl (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · vi riêng tư (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · az özəl (not in governmental office or employment) · ca privat (not in governmental office or employment) · id pribadi (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fi varautunut (secretive; reserved) · ko 민영 (not in governmental office or employment) · mk не́службен (not in governmental office or employment) · az şəxsi (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · cy cyfrinachol (not accessible by the public) · ota خصوصی (not accessible by the public) · pl niejawny (not accessible by the public) · da privat (not accessible by the public) · ru необщедосту́пный (not accessible by the public) · de privat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · sk súkromný (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · fr privée (not accessible by the public) · hi व्यक्तिगत (not accessible by the public) · da hemmelighedsfuld (secretive; reserved) · sv privat (not accessible by the public) · la prīvātus (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · id privat (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · ml സ്വകാര്യ (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · nl privaat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · mk неофиција́лен (not in governmental office or employment) · mr खाजगी (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · mi tūmataiti (not accessible by the public) · be прыва́тны (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ko 은밀(隱密)하다 (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · de privat (not accessible by the public) · pl prywatny (not accessible by the public) · ca privat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ko 비공개 (not traded by the public) · nl persoonlijk (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · mk при́ватен (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · gu ખાનગી (not accessible by the public) · mk за́творен (not accessible by the public) · yi פּריוואַט (not accessible by the public) · fi yksityinen (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · bg уединен (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · mhr шке (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · is einkarekinn (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · gd dìomhair (not publicly known; not open; secret) · oc privat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · hi निजी (not in governmental office or employment) · eo privata (not accessible by the public) · sv privat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · mk до́верлив (not publicly known; not open; secret) · cs soukromý (not accessible by the public) · ota خصوصی (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · gd uaigneach (not in governmental office or employment) · da isoleret (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · id perseorangan (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · pt privado (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · ba шәхси (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · it privata (not accessible by the public) · nb privat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · pl poufny (not accessible by the public) · ja プライベート (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · sl zaseben (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · da privat (not publicly known; not open; secret) · ro privat (not publicly known; not open; secret) · mk сми́рен (protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded) · da privat (not traded by the public) · ru закры́тый (not accessible by the public) · bg ча́стен (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · es privado (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · hi निजी (not accessible by the public) · ko 개인적 (not publicly known; not open; secret) · hi निजी (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · acw خاص (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · mk ли́чен (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · it riservato (not accessible by the public) · fi yksityinen (not shared with another patient) · cy preifat (belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group) · it privato (not accessible by the public)