nounnounadjectiveverb

le privé

private · deprive · private sector · the private sector

Definition & meaning

Privé usually means private: not public, personal, or restricted to a particular person or group. For example, a private school or a private conversation.

It can also mean deprived of or without when used with de: être privé de liberté means “to be deprived of freedom.”

As a noun, un privé is an informal term for a private detective.

Grammar & Word origin

Privé is an adjective. Its forms are privée (feminine singular), privés (masculine plural), and privées (feminine plural). It often appears before a noun, as in une propriété privée (“private property”), or in the construction privé de (“deprived of”).

The word is also the past participle of the verb priver , “to deprive.” It comes from Latin privatus, meaning “private” or “separated from public life.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms depend on the sense:

personnel means “personal” and emphasizes belonging to or concerning an individual; privé more broadly contrasts with what is public.
particulier can mean “individual” or “private,” often emphasizing a specific person or case.
confidentiel means “confidential”; unlike privé, it specifically implies information should be kept secret.

Possible antonyms include:

public , the usual opposite when privé means “private” or “not public.”
collectif , when privé means personal or individual rather than shared.
pourvu de , meaning “provided with,” can contrast with privé de (“deprived of”).