private.
Belonging or pertaining to an individual person, group of people, or entity that is not the state.
Meaning & usage
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.
Relating to an individual or group of individuals outside of their official roles; often, sensitive or personal.
This book is her private journal.
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.
Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded; not publicly accessible.
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
Of a room in a medical facility, not shared with another patient.
Financially reliant on fees rather than government funding.
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.
Where this word comes from
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.
A soldier of the lowest rank in the army.
A doctor working in privately rather than publicly funded health care.
The genitals.
A secret message; a personal unofficial communication.
Personal interest; particular business.
Privacy; retirement.
One not invested with a public office.
A private lesson.
If you want to learn ballet, consider taking privates.
Where this word comes from
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.
To make something hidden from the public (without deleting it permanently).
Where this word comes from
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.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.