SYLLABICATION:
private
PRONUNCIATION:
pr?t
ADJECTIVE:
1 a. Secluded from the sight, presence, or intrusion of others: a private hideaway. b. Designed or intended for one's exclusive use: a private room. 2 a. Of or confined to the individual; personal: a private joke; private opinions. b. Undertaken on an individual basis: private studies; private research. c. Of, relating to, or receiving special hospital services and privileges: a private patient. 3. Not available for public use, control, or participation: a private club; a private party. 4 a. Belonging to a particular person or persons, as opposed to the public or the government: private property. b. Of, relating to, or derived from nongovernment sources: private funding. c. Conducted and supported primarily by individuals or groups not affiliated with governmental agencies or corporations: a private college; a private sanatorium. d. Enrolled in or attending a private school: a private student. 5. Not holding an official or public position: a private citizen. 6 a. Not for public knowledge or disclosure; secret: private papers; a private communication. b. Not appropriate for use or display in public; intimate: private behavior; a private tragedy. c. Placing a high value on personal privacy: a private person.