1
as in confidential
not known or meant to be known by the general populace
that he is planning to retire is private information until he makes a public announcement
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
a private investigation of the organization's activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in personal
of, relating to, or belonging to a single person
club lockers in which private property may be stored
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private
The production shot at an old trestle bridge from the early 1900s, one of the few left, found on someone’s private property.
—
Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025
The race drivers are limited to 1,000km of private test running in old cars through the year, meaning Hamilton’s 89km run, followed by teammate Charles Leclerc’s 42km run in the afternoon, leaves plenty of room for more ahead of the new season.
—Luke Smith, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
The billionaire declined to share details on his sources of financing, but said private equity firms and family offices have reached out to provide options.
—Krystal Hu, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025
These fleeting possible exceptions aside, Underwood has kept her views on politics and virtually all hot-button issues private.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for private 
Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025
The race drivers are limited to 1,000km of private test running in old cars through the year, meaning Hamilton’s 89km run, followed by teammate Charles Leclerc’s 42km run in the afternoon, leaves plenty of room for more ahead of the new season.
—Luke Smith, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
The billionaire declined to share details on his sources of financing, but said private equity firms and family offices have reached out to provide options.
—Krystal Hu, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025
These fleeting possible exceptions aside, Underwood has kept her views on politics and virtually all hot-button issues private.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for private
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private
Adjective
-
In a confidential advisory opinion dated May 15, 2019, the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board had told the then-mayor that taxpayers could cover salaries and overtime of officers, but not food, lodging and other costs.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Jan. 2025
-
CCleaner removes tracking files, cookies, and browsing data to keep your online activities confidential.—
StackCommerce Team (Sponsored),
PCMAG,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Given the clandestine nature of the process, the true number of fictitious sons who arrived during exclusion will never be known.—
Jane Hu,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Inspired by the Belle Époque era in 1900 Buenos Aires, the soaring space manages to feel clandestine with its dim lighting, lush floral displays, and bartenders in crisp white jackets.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Over time, these experiences cause the brain to become hyper-aware of any signs of disapproval, interpreting neutral or ambiguous situations as personal rejection.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
-
This kind of work trip treads that line of professional and personal.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Within moments of entering our lavish suite — complete with a claw-foot tub and plush plaid couches arranged around a fireplace — my daughter noticed a secret door in the wall.—
Leslie Jamison,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Jan. 2025
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More flashbacks to her time in the Terran Empire serve to tie together the origins of this secret superweapon called The Godsend that Georgiou recognizes from her tragic past.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
One that, again, merged something familiar – an undercover cop – with something unfamiliar: the world of art fraud.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
-
In 2023, Benjamin Coney, 30, and Emily Grace Brinley, 26, both from Conway, messaged an undercover FBI agent posing as a mom of two girls, according to a Jan. 16 news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas.—
Paloma Chavez,
Kansas City Star,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Historical records suggest Ludovico ordered the construction of an underground passageway to allow him easy access to Milan’s Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where his wife was buried.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Jan. 2025
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Prime your body for a weekend of Quebec City’s outdoors by dropping in for daily yoga (18 dollars) in the monastery’s arched stone underground vault.—
Vjosa Isai,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The strategy is less effective for improving outputs such as poems or translations, in which ranking is subjective.—
Lauren Leffer,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Voting is purely subjective, as was the case with Ichiro.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
This isn’t a sly spy carrying out a covert operation; this is a spy whose careful plans have been overtaken by events.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as the eighth head coach in franchise history Friday, capping a covert operation that included owner Shad Khan moving on from general manager Trent Baalke and Coen reversing course with the Bucs.—
Mark Long,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to private
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Cite this Entry
“Private.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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