publicly
/ˈpʌblɪkli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpʌblɪkli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpə-bli-klē/ (ame, mw)
publicly — adverb
1. in a way that is open for anyone to see, hear, or know about — for example, apol
in a way that is open for anyone to see, hear, or know about — for example, apologising in front of a crowd rather than in private.
Sirin publicly thanked her colleagues for their support during the training week.
publicly + verb of communication (thanked)
The museum publicly announced that entry would be free on Sundays starting next month.
publicly + that-clause
Wei's promotion was publicly discussed before the official email went out.
Manuela publicly disagreed with the committee's decision during the meeting.
It is rare for a mayor to publicly share personal medical records with reporters.
- openly
very close in meaning, but focuses on honesty rather than visibility
- in public
more literal — means physically in a public place rather than via media
- overtly
more formal; emphasises that nothing is hidden
- for all to see
idiomatic; used when the action is visible to everyone
- privately
done without others watching or knowing
- secretly
implies deliberate concealment
- behind closed doors
idiomatic; suggests hidden from the public
文法句型
publicly + [verb of communication]
用法筆記
Most common with verbs of communication such as announce, thank, apologise, discuss, criticise, and disagree. The opposite sense (meaning 'by the government') is covered in sense 2 below.
常見錯誤
2. relating to something that is managed, paid for, or provided by the government f
relating to something that is managed, paid for, or provided by the government for all citizens to use — for example, a publicly funded school or a publicly owned park.
The local hospital is publicly funded, so patients do not pay for basic treatments.
publicly funded [institution]
Élise took her children to a publicly owned playground near their apartment.
publicly owned [place]
Publicly financed schools must follow the national curriculum for every subject.
Heather prefers publicly operated buses because the fares are much lower.
The new library was built with publicly raised money from local taxes.
- by the government
more explicit; used when the agent matters
- with public money
specifically about funding source
- state-funded
compound adjective meaning the same as 'publicly funded'
- privately
managed or owned by individuals or companies, not the government
- privatised
transferred from government to private ownership
文法句型
publicly + [past participle] + [noun]
用法筆記
Most commonly appears in the pattern 'publicly + past participle + noun' (e.g. publicly funded hospital, publicly owned land, publicly traded company). The noun that follows is almost always an institution or public resource.