Privy to Meaning in English
expression
ˈpɹɪvi/ /ˈtu/, /tə/, /tɪ
PRIV-ee tuu / PRIV-ee tuh / PRIV-ee tih
pɹˈɪvi/ /tˈuː
pri-VEE TOO
Definition
If you are privy to something, you have access to secret or private information that most people do not know.
Usage & Nuances
'Privy to' is formal and almost always about being included in confidential or insider knowledge, especially information not meant for everyone. It is often followed by 'information', 'details', or 'conversation'. Do not confuse with 'private to'. Rarely used in casual speech.
Spanish: al tanto de - al corriente de (información secreta)Portuguese (BR): a par de - ciente de (informação secreta)Portuguese (PT): ao corrente de - ciente de (informação confidencial)Chinese (Simplified): 知晓（秘密）- 了解（内部信息）Chinese (Traditional): 知悉（祕密）- 清楚（內情）Hindi: गुप्त जानकारी में शामिल - (रहस्य से अवगत)Arabic: مطلع على - على علم بـ (معلومات سرية)Bengali: গোপন তথ্য জানা - বিশেষ তথ্যের অধিকারীRussian: осведомлён о - посвящён в (секрет, информацию)Japanese: 内情を知っている - 秘密を知っているVietnamese: được biết đến thông tin mật - biết bí mậtKorean: 내부 사정을 아는 - 기밀 정보를 아는Turkish: haberdar (gizli bilgiden) - gizli bilgilere vakıfUrdu: راز میں شریک - باخبر (خفیہ معلومات سے)Indonesian: mengetahui - diberi tahu (informasi rahasia)
Example Sentences
Only a few people were privy to the new plan.
basic
He is not privy to the details of the meeting.
basic
Were you privy to this information before today?
basic
She became privy to some confidential conversations at work.
natural
I wasn’t privy to what happened behind closed doors.
natural
You don’t need to be privy to every single discussion we have.
natural