Skip to main content
privately

privately

85 3.0
By people or companies not part of the government
  • adverb
  • /ˈpraɪvɪtli/
translation icon : de forma privada
  • Regulation of derivatives transactions that are privately negotiated by professionals is unnecessary.
  • privately owned
  • privately funded
  • publicly and privately

And so I started to list and describe books made privately and given as gifts.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Although Korean industry was privately owned, the commercial banking sector was under state control.

    Academic text (1991)
  • In my frustration, I spoke to some of the students privately about this.

    Academic text (2013)
  • It's the only privately held real estate in Central Park.

  • Or, you could either write individual students a note or comment to them privately about their efforts.

    Academic text (1991)
  • It's privately owned out in the Pacific Northwest.

  • This is a privately-funded operation.

  • Great Benefit is owned by PinnConn, a privately held corporation whose owners are hard to pin down.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I've been studying privately with Coach Podell.

  • Unfortunately though, we can't get any closer to the island since it privately owned and the owner has made it very clear that until those eggs are hatched he will allow no visitors.

  • The charity operates privately to avoid government interference.

Synonyms

behind closed doors
vsprivately
  • Literature
112 4.1

In private and not open to the public

is carried out by non government people or organizations rather than public authorities
confidentially
vsprivately
10 4.4

In a private way so no one else knows

is used for actions by non government people or organizations rather than public authorities

Antonyms

575 1.2

In a way that everyone can see or know

Compounds

A company owned by a few people whose shares are not sold on public stock markets

How Private

privately
85 3.0
publicly
575 1.2

Surface Forms

privately positive

Morphology

privately = private (transparent) = private + ly

Formed by the adjective 'private' plus the productive adverbial suffix '-ly', so the adverbial meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Privately comes from the Latin word privatus, meaning 'separate' or 'for oneself', and it shares this root with private and privacy. So doing something privately in this sense means it belongs to individuals or private groups rather than the government.