Private vs. Discreet — What's the Difference?

Belonging to or for the use of one particular person or group of people only

Possessed of, exercising, or showing prudence and self-restraint in speech and behavior; circumspect

(of a person) having no official or public role or position

Made, done, or situated so as to attract little notice

(of a service or industry) provided or owned by an individual or an independent, commercial company rather than the state

Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order to avoid causing embarrassment; quiet; diplomatic.

The lowest rank in the army, below lance corporal or private first class.

Not drawing attention, anger or challenge; inconspicuous.

Short for private parts

Possessed of discernment, especially in avoiding error or evil, and in the adaptation of means to ends; prudent; sagacious; judicious; not rash or heedless; cautious.

Secluded from the sight, presence, or intrusion of others

Differing; distinct.

Designed or intended for one's exclusive use

Marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint;

Of or confined to the individual; personal

Unobtrusively perceptive and sympathetic;

Undertaken on an individual basis

Heedful of potential consequences;

Of, relating to, or receiving special hospital services and privileges

Not available for public use, control, or participation

Belonging to a particular person or persons, as opposed to the public or the government

Of, relating to, or derived from nongovernment sources

Conducted and supported primarily by individuals or groups not affiliated with governmental agencies or corporations

Enrolled in or attending a private school

Capitalized in shares of stock that are held by a relatively small number of owners and are not traded on the open market

Not holding an official or public position

Not for public knowledge or disclosure; secret

Not appropriate for use or display in public; intimate

Placing a high value on personal privacy

A noncommissioned rank in the US Army or Marine Corps that is below private first class.

One who holds this rank or a similar rank in another military organization.

Privates Private parts. Often used with the.

Belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group.

Not accessible by the public.

Not in governmental office or employment.

Not publicly known; not open; secret.

Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded.

Not traded by the public.

Secretive; reserved.

Not shared with another patient.

Accessible only to the class itself or instances of it, and not to other classes or even subclasses.

A soldier of the lowest rank in the army.

A doctor working in privately rather than publicly funded health care.

The genitals.

(obsolete) A secret message; a personal unofficial communication.

(obsolete) Personal interest; particular business.

(obsolete) Privacy; retirement.

(obsolete) One not invested with a public office.

A private lesson.

To make something hidden from the public (without deleting it permanently).

Belonging to, or concerning, an individual person, company, or interest; peculiar to one's self; unconnected with others; personal; one's own; not public; not general; separate; as, a man's private opinion; private property; a private purse; private expenses or interests; a private secretary.

Sequestered from company or observation; appropriated to an individual; secret; secluded; lonely; solitary; as, a private room or apartment; private prayer.

Not invested with, or engaged in, public office or employment; as, a private citizen; private life.

Not publicly known; not open; secret; as, a private negotiation; a private understanding.

Having secret or private knowledge; privy.

A secret message; a personal unofficial communication.

Personal interest; particular business.

Privacy; retirement.

One not invested with a public office.

A common soldier; a soldier below the grade of a noncommissioned officer.

The private parts; the genitals.

An enlisted man of the lowest rank;

Confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy;

Concerning things deeply private and personal;

Concerning one person exclusively;

Not expressed;