private life
Behind closed doors
Private life is the sphere of personal existence separate from one's public role or professional activities—family, relationships, health, beliefs, and daily routines conducted away from public scrutiny.
The phrase often appears in discussions of boundaries: Celebrities deserve a private life.
To keep one's private life private is to resist others' curiosity about personal matters.
Lines marking separation
- personal spaceComfort distance around oneself
- confidentialityQuality of protecting secrets
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
consent · self-determination · personal rights · data protection · civil liberties · non-disclosure · information control · anonymity
Sanctuary or withdrawal
- isolationComplete separation from others
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
meditation · introspection · self-reflection · quietude · tranquility · serenity · alone time · personal time
State of being related
- relativesThose connected by blood
- householdDomestic unit of residents
- siblingsFellow offspring
- parentsMother and father
children · ancestry · lineage · heritage · clan · domestic · homelife · upbringing
Warm emotional attachment
- closenessState of proximity
- companionshipState of having company
- romanceLove and its excitement
- passionIntense emotional drive
tenderness · personal relationships · bonding · attachment · devotion · fidelity · commitment · trust
Kept out of sight
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
- undisclosedNot made known
confidential · classified · redacted · furtive · surreptitious · veiled · incognito · skeleton in the closet
boundaries
Lines marking separation
- personal spaceComfort distance around oneself
- confidentialityQuality of protecting secrets
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
autonomy · consent · self-determination · personal rights · data protection · civil liberties · non-disclosure · information control · anonymity · seclusion
retreat
Sanctuary or withdrawal
- isolationComplete separation from others
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- withdrawalAct of taking away
contemplation · meditation · introspection · self-reflection · quietude · tranquility · serenity · alone time · personal time · hermitage
kinship
State of being related
parents · children · ancestry · lineage · heritage · clan · domestic · homelife · upbringing · childrearing
affection
Warm emotional attachment
- closenessState of proximity
- companionshipState of having company
- romanceLove and its excitement
passion · tenderness · personal relationships · bonding · attachment · devotion · fidelity · commitment · trust · warmth
hidden
Kept out of sight
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
undisclosed · confidential · classified · redacted · furtive · surreptitious · veiled · incognito · skeleton in the closet · hush-hush
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- privacyseclusion, confidentiality, solitude, anonymity, boundaries
- biography sectionschildhood, education, youth, school years, later years
- personal rightspersonal rights, reputation, human dignity, personal autonomy, individual rights
- private spherehome, family, diary, secrets, bedroom
- family privacysecrets, boundaries, diary, bedroom, passwords
private lifepublic life
Existence in societal view
public eye · public scrutiny · public sphere · spotlight · celebrity
private lifeprofessional life
Work-related sphere of existence
work life · career · working life · public life · civic life
private lifepublic life
Existence in societal view
civic life · social life · community involvement · public service · civic engagement
life, private, privacy, lifeless, lifetime, lifestyle, deprive, privately, afterlife