privacy
PRYE-vuh-see
/ˈpraɪ.və.si/
The state of being free from public attention, secret observation, or unwanted intrusion into one's personal life.
Represents both a physical boundary and a fundamental legal human right to personal autonomy.
The story behind the word. Traces back to Latin 'privatus', meaning set apart from public or state affairs, from 'privare' (to deprive or separate). It grew in English into the defining democratic principle of personal sovereignty.
Word relationships
- seclusion: Seclusion implies physical isolation in a remote spot, while privacy is the control over personal information and access.
- publicity: The state of being subject to widespread public notice.
Commonly confused with
- secrecy: Secrecy is actively hiding information, whereas privacy is the legitimate right to keep personal life unmonitored.
Word family
- private (adjective): Belonging to a particular person, not public.
- privately (adverb): In a private manner.
Collocations
- invasion of privacy
- right to privacy
- respect one's privacy
- privacy laws
Example sentences
- "Many public figures struggle to maintain a personal sense of privacy under modern digital media demands." Human rights
Memory hook
PRIVACY = keeping things PRIVATE from public eyes. Personal personal boundary.
When not to use
Do not use to describe total isolation or solitude that is unwanted or painful (loneliness).
Fun facts
- The legal 'right to privacy' was first famously articulated in American law in an 1890 Harvard Law Review article written by Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis.
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