private

Compared meaning: private, or belonging to oneself (adjective).

比较义项：私人的、自己的（形容词）。

• intimate

  Emphasizes secrecy and closeness — something shared only with a few trusted people, often emotional or confidential in nature.

  强调私密与亲近——只与少数信任的人分享，通常带有情感色彩或需要保密。

  He felt embarrassed discussing such an intimate matter with a stranger.

  在陌生人面前谈论如此私密的事，他感到很尴尬。

• personal

  Focuses on what belongs to an individual's own life, body or feelings, often contrasted with public or professional matters.

  侧重属于个人自身生活、身体或情感的事，常与公开或工作事务相对。

  The interviewer avoided asking personal questions about her salary.

  面试官避免询问她薪水等私人问题。

• private 本词

  Means not shared with others or not open to the public; used for property, information or spaces reserved for one person or a small group.

  指不与他人共享或不对公众开放；用于财产、信息或只供一人或小范围人使用的空间。

  Employees are not allowed to use the printer for private business.

  员工不得将打印机用于私人事务。

• own

  A limiting adjective that must follow a possessive (my/your/his own), stressing sole possession rather than secrecy or personal relevance.

  是一个限定性形容词，必须跟在物主代词（my/your/his own）之后，强调专属所有权，而非私密性或与个人的相关性。

  She finally has her own bedroom instead of sharing with her sister.

  她终于有了自己的卧室，不用再和姐妹合住。

These words all relate to what is private or one's own. Intimate stresses secrecy, shared only with trusted people. Personal focuses on an individual's own life, body, or feelings. Private means not shared with others or open to the public. Own stresses sole possession.

这几个词在“私人的、自己的”这一意义上相近，但侧重点不同：intimate强调私密、不愿公开，personal强调与个人生活或身体有关，private强调不与他人共享或不对外开放，own则强调所有权，须与物主代词连用。这里不比较intimate表示“（人际关系）亲密的”这一常见义，也不比较own用作动词“拥有”的用法。

Compared meaning: secret, not known publicly (adjective).

比较义项：秘密的、不公开的（形容词）。

• private 本词

  General, everyday word for something kept from public knowledge or from other people; can describe objects, feelings, information or spaces; neutral in register.

  普通、常用词，指不让公众或他人知道的事物；可以形容物品、感情、信息或空间；语域中性。

  He never talks about his salary; he thinks money should stay private.

  他从不谈论自己的薪水，他认为钱的事应该保密。

• confidential

  Formal word used almost only for information, documents or communications that must not be disclosed; common in business, legal or medical settings; often paired with phrases like 'keep something confidential.'

  较正式的词，几乎只用于不可泄露的信息、文件或通讯；常见于商务、法律或医疗场合；常与“keep something confidential（对某事保密）”等搭配连用。

  The report is confidential, so only senior managers may read it.

  这份报告是机密文件，只有高级经理才能阅读。

• privy

  Formal word used almost only in the fixed phrase 'privy to something,' describing a person who has secret knowledge of or access to something, rather than describing the secret thing itself.

  正式用词，几乎只出现在固定搭配“privy to something”中，用来形容某人知晓或能接触到某项秘密，而不是直接形容秘密本身。

  Only a few managers were privy to the company's new plans.

  只有少数几位经理知悉公司的新计划。

All three mean secret or not open to the public. Private is the common, neutral word. Confidential is formal, for information that must stay secret in business or legal writing. Privy is formal, used only in 'privy to something,' for someone who knows a secret.

这三个词都表示“秘密的、不为人知的”，但语域和用法不同：private 最常用、语域中性；confidential 更正式，多用于信息或文件；privy 语域正式，几乎只出现在固定搭配 privy to 中，表示某人知晓某项秘密，而不是直接形容秘密本身。这里不比较 private 表示“私人的、个人所有的”这一义项，也不比较 privy 作名词表示“茅厕”的用法。