Private Meaning
/ˈpɹaɪ.vɪt/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjBelonging or pertaining to an individual person, group of people, or entity that is not the state.
adjRelating to an individual or group of individuals outside of their official roles; often, sensitive or personal.
Sentence Examples
The private colleges and universities of the United States are autonomous.
I'd like to talk with you in private.
His private life is the subject of much speculation.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The CEO held a ____ meeting with only the top managers, no outsiders allowed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The general held a ____ meeting with his senior officers to discuss the classified operation.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The CEO held a ____ meeting with only the top managers, no outsiders allowed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The general held a ____ meeting with his senior officers to discuss the classified operation.