as in secretly
in a manner intended to prevent knowledge or awareness by others
she confided to me privately that she was considering divorce
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Recent Examples of privately
Addressing Gaps in the Market The company’s founder established XPRO Jet Charters after spending years flying privately and experiencing inconsistent service firsthand.
—
Ethan Stone, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
Other areas around the Civic Center were also considered, but many of the properties are privately owned, which is cost-prohibitive, Director of Public Works Dave Webb said.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
All but one Missouri license office are privately owned.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2026
The Chinese leader’s comments were made privately in 2024.
—Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Lesther Alemán, then a student leader who frequently interacted with Dogu during the 2018 protests, described her as publicly blunt but privately empathetic.
—Yamlek Mojica Loaisiga, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Trump was also hearing from members of his own party, who were reaching out privately to express their dismay over the scenes emerging from Minnesota.
—Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
County Executive Calvin Ball revoked building permits for a building on Meadowridge Road, which is privately owned.
—Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
The Post, which is privately held by Bezos, declined through a spokesperson to confirm basic data about its newsroom, subscriptions and other financial data for this article.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Ethan Stone, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
Other areas around the Civic Center were also considered, but many of the properties are privately owned, which is cost-prohibitive, Director of Public Works Dave Webb said.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
All but one Missouri license office are privately owned.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2026
The Chinese leader’s comments were made privately in 2024.
—Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Lesther Alemán, then a student leader who frequently interacted with Dogu during the 2018 protests, described her as publicly blunt but privately empathetic.
—Yamlek Mojica Loaisiga, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Trump was also hearing from members of his own party, who were reaching out privately to express their dismay over the scenes emerging from Minnesota.
—Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
County Executive Calvin Ball revoked building permits for a building on Meadowridge Road, which is privately owned.
—Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
The Post, which is privately held by Bezos, declined through a spokesperson to confirm basic data about its newsroom, subscriptions and other financial data for this article.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for privately
Adverb
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Other times, Claude made a different calculus, choosing to play along during the retraining while secretly preserving its original values.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Vionic Uptown Loafers These loafers are the epitome of what Vionic does best—they’re polished, supportive, and secretly built for long days on your feet.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Detainees have a constitutional right to speak confidentially with an attorney.—
Claudia Boyd-Barrett,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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In April 2023, SeatGeek filed confidentially for an IPO, and even hired bankers for the offering a year later.—
Luisa Beltran,
Sportico.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Privately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/privately. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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