confidentially

/ˌkɒnfɪˈdenʃəli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkɑːnfɪˈdenʃəli/ (ame, ipa) · /¦kän-fə-¦den(t)-sh(ə-)lē/ (ame, mw)

confidentially — adverb

1. if you tell or share something confidentially, you do it knowing the listener wi

1.副詞B2
釋義

if you tell or share something confidentially, you do it knowing the listener will keep it secret and not pass it on to other people.

例句

Dario spoke confidentially to his lawyer about the missing money before the meeting.

confidentially + to someone, common with verbs of telling

The doctor confidentially told Yara that her test results would arrive next week.

adverb modifying a reporting verb

同義詞
  • privately

    broader — covers any private setting, not only secrets

  • in confidence

    common fixed phrase; same meaning, often follows the verb 'tell' or 'speak'

  • secretly

    stronger; suggests active hiding rather than trusted disclosure

反義詞
  • publicly

    opposite — openly, where anyone may hear

  • openly

    without hiding the information

文法句型

speaking confidentially

confidentially to someone

用法筆記

Typically modifies verbs of telling or sharing (say, tell, speak, share, report). Often signals that the speaker expects the listener not to repeat the information.

常見錯誤

❌She acted confidentially during the meeting.
✅She spoke confidentially during the meeting.
💡'confidentially' describes how something is said or shared, not general behaviour.