INDEX:
private and personal
1. private thoughts and feelings
2. private conversations and letters
3. not connected with work or public life
4. when you are alone and other people cannot hear or see you
5. unwilling to talk to other people about yourself
6. what you say to tell someone that something is private
private/non-government
7. not controlled by the government
8. to make a public company or organization private
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ PUBLIC
see also
↑ SECRET
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1. private thoughts and feelings
▷ private /ˈpraɪvɪt, ˈpraɪvət/ [adjective]
not for other people to know about :
▪ We all have our private dreams, fantasies and secrets.
▪ Guy had to obey his superiors, no matter what his private thoughts on the matter.
▪ Brian had an irritating habit of saying, ‘It’ll be fine!’, whenever she mentioned any of her private fears.
keep something private
▪ Clarence refused to comment on the state of his marriage, saying, it ‘is a private matter which we’d like to keep private.’
privately [adverb]
▪ Simon seemed confident, but privately he grew increasingly anxious.
▷ secret /ˈsiːkrɪt, ˈsiːkrət/ [adjective]
your secret thoughts and feelings are ones that you never show and never tell anyone else about :
▪ I had a secret ambition to return to politics.
secret hopes/fears/desires etc
▪ Psychologists say that dreams can reveal our secret desires.
▪ Williams’ diaries reveal all his secret hopes and fears.
secretly [adverb]
▪ She said nothing, though she secretly admired his courage.
▷ intimate /ˈɪntɪmət, ˈɪntəmət/ [adjective]
very private, and usually concerned with your relationships, sexual feelings etc :
▪ Some people see nothing wrong with appearing on a TV show, and revealing their most intimate thoughts.
▪ They held hands, walked along the beach, and shared intimate secrets.
intimate details
▪ You do not expect to see the most intimate details of your marriage splashed across the pages of the newspapers.
▷ personal /ˈpɜːʳs ə nəl/ [adjective]
your personal thoughts and feelings are ones that you feel deeply, and do not usually tell other people about :
▪ I’m not going to tell you that - it’s personal!
personal feelings/thoughts/problems
▪ She felt her problems were too personal to talk about.
▪ In those days it was socially unacceptable for men to cry in public, or to express their personal feelings.
▷ innermost /ˈɪnəʳməʊst/ [adjective only before noun]
innermost feelings/thoughts/secrets/desires etc
feelings, thoughts etc that are very important to you, but that you do not like to talk to other people about :
▪ He’s not the kind of person to reveal his innermost secrets, even to his closest friends.
▪ She works with emotionally disturbed people, teaching them to express their innermost feelings through poetry.
2. private conversations and letters
▷ private /ˈpraɪvɪt, ˈpraɪvət/ [adjective]
between yourself and another person, and not to be listened to or seen by anyone else :
▪ He keeps his private papers locked away in the top drawer of his desk.
▪ You shouldn’t be listening to a private conversation!
▪ The book contains extracts from his diary and private letters.
▷ personal /ˈpɜːʳs ə nəl/ [adjective]
personal letters and papers concern only yourself and are not for other people to read :
▪ I’m sorry but my diary is personal. I don’t let anyone else read it.
▪ There was a letter on Sarah’s desk marked ‘personal’.
▷ intimate /ˈɪntɪmət, ˈɪntəmət/ [adjective]
intimate conversations etc are very private and usually concerned with your relationships, sexual feelings etc :
▪ Some of the author’s intimate correspondence was published after her death.
▪ I saw that Brian was having an intimate conversation with an attractive young woman, and so I left quietly.
3. not connected with work or public life
▷ private/personal /ˈpraɪvɪt, ˈpraɪvət, ˈpɜːʳs ə nəl/ [adjective]
use this about things that are not connected with your work, which only concern you, your family, or close friends :
▪ The senator’s relationship with her family is a private matter - why put it on the front page of The Post?
private/personal life
▪ The newspapers are full of stories about the private lives of famous people.
▪ She had worked with Bill for 5 years, but she knew nothing of his personal life.
personal relationship
▪ Dave was very successful in business, but always had problems in his personal relationships.
personal call/phone call/letter
▪ If you must make personal phone calls at work, please keep them short.
personal problem
▪ There are counsellors at the college to help students with personal problems.
▷ domestic /dəˈmestɪk/ [adjective]
concerning your life at home, especially with your family, and not your business or work :
▪ Domestic problems are affecting his work.
▪ History books do not tell us much about the domestic lives of our ancestors.
▪ It can be difficult for people with domestic responsibilities to work late at night.
4. when you are alone and other people cannot hear or see you
▷ privacy /ˈprɪvəsi, ˈpraɪ-ǁˈpraɪ-/ [uncountable noun]
when you are able to be alone, and not be heard or seen by other people :
▪ The problem with open plan offices is that you don’t have any privacy.
▪ The condo was beautiful, and they had plenty of privacy, with a hot tub in a little private garden.
respect somebody’s privacy
let someone have some privacy
▪ The press has been asked to respect the privacy of the Royal Family during this very difficult time.
invade somebody’s privacy
to upset or annoy someone by not allowing them to have privacy
▪ Her husband’s colleagues kept coming to the house, invading her privacy, and expecting food and drinks.
in the privacy of your own room/home etc
in a place where you can have some privacy
▪ I waited until I was in the privacy of my own room before I opened the letter.
▷ private /ˈpraɪvɪt, ˈpraɪvət/ [adjective]
a private place is one in which you can be alone without anyone hearing you or seeing what you are doing :
▪ I’ve got something to tell you. Can we go somewhere private?
▪ The garden’s very private - it’s not overlooked by anyone.
▷ in private /ɪn ˈpraɪvə̇t/ [adverb]
if you do something in private, you do it when other people are not present :
▪ Can I speak to you in private for a minute?
5. unwilling to talk to other people about yourself
▷ private /ˈpraɪvɪt, ˈpraɪvət/ [adjective only before noun]
a private person is one who likes being alone and does not talk much about their thoughts or feelings :
▪ Lou’s a very private person - I don’t know anything about her family.
▪ Brando is a private man who almost never gives interviews to the press.
▷ keep yourself to yourself British /keep to yourself American /kiːp jɔːʳˌself tə jɔːʳˈself, ˌkiːp tə jɔːʳˈself/ [verb phrase not usually in progressive]
to not spend much time with other people and not talk much with other people, especially about your personal feelings or opinions :
▪ Mrs Jackson, a widow who kept herself to herself, lived in the flat above.
▪ Until he got used to his new school, Davy kept to himself and almost never spoke to the other children.
6. what you say to tell someone that something is private
▷ it’s none of your business/that’s my business /ɪts ˌnʌn əv jɔːʳ ˈbɪznə̇s, ðæts ˈmaɪ ˌbɪznə̇s/
use this to tell someone, who has asked you about something private, that you think they have no right to ask you :
▪ ‘I don’t care what you think, and anyway it’s none of your business,’ she said rather rudely.
▪ ‘Where did you get the money?’ ‘That’s my business.’
it’s none of your business what/where/how etc
▪ It’s none of your business how much I earn.
▷ mind your own business /ˌmaɪnd jɔːr əʊn ˈbɪznə̇s/
say this when someone is asking questions about your private life that you do not want to answer :
▪ ‘Where did you sleep last night?’ ‘Mind your own business.’
▪ I wish you’d stop interfering and mind your own business.
7. not controlled by the government
▷ private /ˈpraɪvɪt, ˈpraɪvət/ [adjective usually before noun]
a private school, hospital etc is not one that is owned by the government and that you must pay money to use :
▪ Private hospitals can afford to pay much higher salaries than state-run hospitals.
▪ The government plans to sell part of the railway network to private investors.
▪ Do you think the teaching in private schools is better than in state schools?
privately [adverb]
▪ privately educated
at a private school
▪ Journalists flew in on a privately chartered plane.
▷ commercial /kəˈmɜːʳʃ ə l/ [adjective only before noun]
commercial TV/radio/channel
a television or radio company that gets its money from advertising :
▪ Most European countries have a mixture of commercial and state-run television.
▪ Denmark’s first commercial channel went on air on June 1, 1987.
▪ the most popular commercial radio station in London
▷ independent /ˌɪndɪˈpendənt◂, ˌɪndəˈpendənt◂/ [adjective]
not owned or paid for by the government :
▪ Robin worked for one of the largest independent television companies.
▪ Local companies and industries have been helping independent schools by providing buildings and equipment.
▷ the private sector /ðə ˈpraɪvə̇t ˌsektəʳ/ [noun phrase]
all the industries and services that are not owned or paid for by the government :
▪ The government is now turning to the private sector for alternative ways of dealing with the country’s transportation problems.
private sector spending/housing/finance etc
▪ Private sector housing is just too expensive for low-income families in the city at the moment.
▷ private enterprise/free enterprise /ˌpraɪvɪt ˈentəʳpraɪz, ˌpraɪvət ˈentəʳpraɪz, ˌfriː ˈentəʳpraɪz/ [uncountable noun]
the economic system in which industries, factories etc are owned and controlled by private companies and not by the government :
▪ Sweden has always had a mixture of private enterprise and state control in its economy.
▪ Margaret Thatcher tried to encourage private enterprise by selling off Britain’s nationalized industries.
▪ Even in the United States, free enterprise is subject to government controls.
8. to make a public company or organization private
▷ privatize /ˈpraɪvɪtaɪz, ˈpraɪvətaɪz/ [transitive verb]
if a government privatizes a government-controlled industry, service, or company, it sells it to private owners, who then manage it for their own profit :
▪ Hungary has been very keen to privatize its major industries, following the democratic reforms of 1988.
▪ Employees of the Strathtay bus company, which has been privatized, are concerned that drivers are about to be made redundant.
privatized [adjective]
▪ The government plans to introduce a privatized health system.
privatization /ˌpraɪvɪtaɪˈzeɪʃ ə n, ˌpraɪvətaɪˈzeɪʃ ə nǁ-tə-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ The recent privatization of bus services has led to escalating prices.