privately
/ˈpraɪvətli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpraɪvətli/ (ame, ipa)
privately — adverb
1. done so that others cannot see or hear what happens, often because the matter is
done so that others cannot see or hear what happens, often because the matter is meant only for a small trusted group
Adina and her lawyer met privately before the trial began.
adverb after verb: met privately
The couple's financial troubles were discussed privately among close family members.
passive: were discussed privately
Joon privately admitted that he had made a serious error in the report.
Caleb asked if they could speak privately before the meeting started.
- confidentially
emphasises that the information is secret and should not be shared
- secretly
stronger sense of hiding something from everyone, not just from the public
- in confidence
phrase suggesting the listener must not repeat what is said
- publicly
done in view of or with the knowledge of everyone
用法筆記
Can be placed either before the main verb (privately admitted) or after it (met privately) with no change in meaning.
常見錯誤
2. involving individual people or businesses acting on their own, without the gover
involving individual people or businesses acting on their own, without the government being responsible or in control
The local clinic is run privately, so the government has no say in its fees.
adverb with be + past participle: is run privately
The school that Zayd attends is funded privately by parents and donors.
passive with by-phrase: is funded privately by
The land was sold privately to a developer without a public auction.
The counselling service is offered privately, so patients pay directly for each session.
- independently
focuses on freedom from outside control rather than non-government ownership
- in the private sector
longer formal phrase referring specifically to businesses, not individuals
- publicly
operated or funded by the government
- state-owned
adjective describing government ownership
用法筆記
Commonly paired with verbs of ownership, funding, or operation: owned privately, funded privately, run privately, sold privately.