Private vs. Special — What's the Difference?

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

Surpassing what is common or usual; exceptional

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

Distinct among others of a kind

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

Primary

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

Peculiar to a specific person or thing; particular

Short for private parts

Having a limited or specific function, application, or scope

Secluded from the sight, presence, or intrusion of others

Arranged for a particular occasion or purpose

Designed or intended for one's exclusive use

Regarded with particular affection and admiration

Of or confined to the individual; personal

Additional; extra

Undertaken on an individual basis

Something arranged, issued, or appropriated to a particular service or occasion

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

A featured attraction, such as a reduced price

Not available for public use, control, or participation

A single television production that features a specific work, a given topic, or a particular performer.

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

Distinguished by a unique or unusual quality.

Of, relating to, or derived from nongovernment sources

Of particular personal interest or value; dear; beloved.

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

(euphemistic) Of or related to disabilities, especially learning or intellectual disabilities.

Enrolled in or attending a private school

Constituting or relating to a species.

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

Chief in excellence.

Not holding an official or public position

(military) Of or related to unconventional warfare.

Not for public knowledge or disclosure; secret

A reduction in consumer cost (usually for a limited time) for items or services rendered.

Not appropriate for use or display in public; intimate

One of a rotation of meals systematically offered for a lower price at a restaurant.

Placing a high value on personal privacy

(broadcasting) Unusual or exceptional episode of a series.

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

A special constable.

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

Anything that is not according to normal practice, plan, or schedule, as an unscheduled run of transportation that is normally scheduled.

Privates Private parts. Often used with the.

Any unlicensed medicine produced or obtained for a specific individual patient.

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

(journalism) A correspondent; a journalist sent to the scene of an event to report back.

Not accessible by the public.

(journalism) A dispatch sent back by a special correspondent.

Not in governmental office or employment.

(theater) A light that illuminates a specific person or thing on the stage.

Not publicly known; not open; secret.

(law) A person appointed specifically to examine a single event or issue.

Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded.

(nursing) To supervise a patient one-on-one.

Not traded by the public.

Of or pertaining to a species; constituting a species or sort.

Secretive; reserved.

Particular; peculiar; different from others; extraordinary; uncommon.

Not shared with another patient.

Appropriate; designed for a particular purpose, occasion, or person; as, a special act of Parliament or of Congress; a special sermon.

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

Limited in range; confined to a definite field of action, investigation, or discussion; as, a special dictionary of commercial terms; a special branch of study.

A soldier of the lowest rank in the army.

Chief in excellence.

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

A particular.

The genitals.

One appointed for a special service or occasion.

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

A special offering (usually temporary and at a reduced price) that is featured in advertising;

(obsolete) Personal interest; particular business.

A dish or meal given prominence in e.g. a restaurant

(obsolete) Privacy; retirement.

A television production that features a particular person or work or topic;

(obsolete) One not invested with a public office.

Unique or specific to a person or thing or category;

A private lesson.

For a special service or occasion;

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

Surpassing what is common or usual or expected;

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.

Adapted to or reserved for a particular purpose;

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

Having a specific function or scope;

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

First and most important;

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

Added to a regular schedule;

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;