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semiprivate

semiprivate

1 6.4
A room shared by a small number of people that gives some privacy
  • adjective
  • /ˌsɛmiˈpraɪvɪt/
translation icon : semiprivado
  • She sat with him in the cramped space of her semiprivate room, looking toward the wall.

Examples

  • Students in another study experienced discomfort sharing their personal beliefs, even within a semiprivate learning environment (Zdravkova, Ivanovic, & Putnik, 2013).

    Academic text (2015)
  • The rooms are semiprivate, so you will have roommates.

  • In contrast, semiprivate online spaces may only be accessed by a defined membership.

    Academic text (2015)
  • With the subduing of public political activity, there arose a need for semiprivate venues where people could congregate to exchange ideas.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The development of semiprivate, residential golf-course communities in the United States began in earnest during the 1950s and has steadily grown since then.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The room was divided by a panel of curtains, and Cee Cee wondered why, with all the money she was paying, Nathan only had a semiprivate room instead of a private one.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The hospital's recovery area features semiprivate rooms that allow patients to share space while maintaining some level of privacy.

  • Each patient in the semiprivate room has a curtain that they can draw for additional privacy from their roommate.

  • During the tour, the administrator explained that the facility offers both semiprivate and private accommodations for new residents.

Antonyms

1.8

For one person or group only and not open to others

How Private

exclusive
399 5.4
private
1.8
semiprivate
1 6.4
public
1.0

Surface Forms

semiprivate positive

Morphology

semiprivate = private (transparent) = semi + private

The meaning is directly built from 'semi-' meaning partly and 'private' meaning not public, so most learners can infer the sense.

Etymology

Semiprivate is made of semi- meaning 'half' or 'partly' and private meaning 'not shared'. So a semiprivate room is partly private and partly shared, giving some privacy while still being used by more than one person, as in hospitals.