From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprivatelypri‧vate‧ly /ˈpraɪvətli/ ●○○ adverb 1 PRIVATE/PERSONALwith no one else present SYN in private I must talk to you privately.2 PRIVATE/PERSONALif you feel or think something privately, you do not tell anyone about it Laura praised the pictures, though she privately thought they were rather ordinary.[sentence adverb] Privately, Harriet had to agree.3 not publicly or as part of your work[sentence adverb] Privately, senior officials agreed that not many people had voted.4 especially British EnglishPRIVATE/NON-GOVERNMENT using or involving private rather than government institutions Both children are privately educated. a privately owned company
Examples from the Corpus
privately• Could I speak to you privately?• Just before the First World War over 90 percent of households rented privately.• Only around 15 out of 200 work privately at the moment.• That pessimism is privately echoed inside the administration.• Many villagers privately feared the worst.• Popular, privately owned century-old hotel, awash with oriental rugs, rich mahogany, walnut panelling and other Victoriana.• The privately owned land is a steep, rugged parcel of 171 acres near Highway 92.• privately owned land• Some deacons and elders have privately told their ministers that they plan to resign in protest if it passes. 