private lives
Behind closed doors
Private lives are the personal affairs, relationships, and activities that individuals keep separate from their public or professional existence.
The phrase implies a boundary—what happens at home, in intimate relationships, or during leisure time is not for public scrutiny: Celebrities struggle to protect their private lives from tabloid intrusion.
The plural form emphasizes that each person has one: The new policy respects employees' private lives.
- home lifeDaily existence at residence
- inner lifeOne's private mental world
- secretsConcealed information
- family secretsConcealed household truths
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
solitude · quiet moments · diary · personal diary · confidentiality · behind closed doors · closed doors · anonymity · life · hush · memoir · emotional intimacy · seclusion · personal space · four walls · off the record · journal · paparazzi
- biographiesbiography, biographies, autobiography, autobiographies, memoir
- communityneighbors, neighborliness, neighborhoods, kinship, community centers
- Roman EmperorsAugustus, Theodosius I, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius
private livespublic life
Existence in societal view
public exposure · public scrutiny · celebrity · fame · public image
private livespublic affairs
Concerns of collective interest
public duties · civic life · official duties · official capacity · professional conduct
private livespublic record
Officially accessible government information
official record · official records · public documents · public information · public archives
private, living, privacy, lives, privately, privation, privateer, privates, privatized