► private private feelings, information, or opinions are only for you or your close family or friends to know about: Some of her private documents were published after her death. Don’t read that – it’s private.
► personal personal means the same as private: He asked a lot of questions about my personal life that I did not answer.
► secret known or felt only by you, and not talked about or shown to anyone else: Dreams may show us our secret desires.
► innermost private and strongly felt or believed: Collins expressed her innermost feelings in her poetry.
► intimate relating to very private or personal matters, especially things like sex: I’m not going to discuss the intimate details of my relationship with my wife with a stranger.
► none of somebody’s business informal private and not something that someone else should ask about: It’s none of your business what I do in my free time.
► confidential formal private and not to be shown to or discussed with other people. Used about information, documents, etc.: All medical records are completely confidential.
► classified ordered by the government to be kept secret: He is accused of giving classified information to the press.