private

adjective (PERSONAL)

/ˈpraɪ.vət/

Definition

B1 only for one person or group and not for everyone: She has a small office that is used for private discussions. I caught him looking through my private papers. The sign on the gate said 'Private Property - No Admittance.'Particular and individual › describes activities that involve personal matters or relationships and are not connected with your work: Apparently in interviews he refuses to talk about his private life.Secrecy and privacy B1 describes thoughts and opinions that are secret and not discussed with other people: Although I support the project in public, my private opinion is that it will fail. This is a private matter.Secrecy and privacy › describes a place that is quiet and where there are no other people to see or hear you: Is there somewhere private where we can talk?Separateness and isolation in spaceAloneAloneSeparateness and isolation in spaceSecrecy and privacy › describes someone who does not like to talk about their personal feelings and thoughts: She's quite a private person.Shy and modestAnxious and worried in private B2 If you talk to someone or do something in private, you do it without other people being present: Jamie wants to speak to me in private. → Compare in publicSecrecy and privacy

(Definition of private adjective (PERSONAL) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)