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
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of private
Communities have the option to be public or private.
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Mia Sato, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
That's a big part of The Challenge — people are always listening to private conversations just around the corner.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2024
Flush from a $400 million investment last year led by private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners and entertainment giant Banijay Group, The Independents has been on an acquisition spree, betting on scale and geographical reach to counter a luxury downturn.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 13 Dec. 2024
Avid entertainers and professional chefs will appreciate the catering kitchen, which has a private entrance for staff.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private 
Mia Sato, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
That's a big part of The Challenge — people are always listening to private conversations just around the corner.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2024
Flush from a $400 million investment last year led by private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners and entertainment giant Banijay Group, The Independents has been on an acquisition spree, betting on scale and geographical reach to counter a luxury downturn.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 13 Dec. 2024
Avid entertainers and professional chefs will appreciate the catering kitchen, which has a private entrance for staff.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private
Adjective
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Since her last secret was discovered by a hook-wielding murderer, perhaps Sarah Michelle Gellar isn't the ideal keeper of confidential information.Shania Russell, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
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However, Judge Carl J. Nichols terminated the case in September after privately reviewing confidential Department of Homeland Security (DHS) files.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Through clandestine operations and cyberattacks, the country sabotaged key Iranian nuclear facilities.Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
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She's Helen, an agent passing on tips from high up in the Prime Minister's office to a clandestine agency (her loving husband happens to be Britain's defense minister).Tom Gliatto, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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For instance, the top-of-page bid on Google Ads for the keyword ‘personal injury law firm’ ranges from $600 to $1000.Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
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Hold quarterly personal development planning sessions with your EA to set personal goals in areas like fitness, education or networking.Kenzie Biggins, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Before her secret tryst with Sandoval, Leviss was in a five-year long relationship with Kennedy before the duo announced the end of their engagement in December 2021.Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
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The elegant facade belied its notorious history: The building served as the primary secret detention center for the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The canard that the Jan. 6 riot was actually an FBI setup and was driven on by undercover agents has been circulating since the days after the attack.Will Carless, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
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There were no undercover FBI agents on the National Mall on Jan. 6, 2021, as then-President Trump encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol, according to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General, rebutting a conspiracy theory surrounding the day’s events.Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The trial was moved from Jerusalem for undisclosed security reasons and convened in an underground courtroom.Reuters, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024
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The judges ordered the trial to resume Tuesday, moving the proceedings to an underground chamber in a Tel Aviv court as a security precaution.Tia Goldenberg, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Taste is subjective, and USA TODAY Books has plenty of genres to recommend.Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
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Some of the film’s scenes are subjective, in the way that the POV sequences are, but artfully detached.K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But all of that changed starting in 2017, when Mr. Trump became president amid the F.B.I. investigation into Russia’s covert attempt to manipulate the 2016 election and the nature of the ties between his campaign and Moscow.Charlie Savage, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2024
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The indictment shows that the FBI unraveled some of the covert schemes and identified specific perpetrators.Michael Kan, PCMAG, 12 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Private.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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