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Private vs Lieutenant - What's the difference?

private | lieutenant |

As adjectives the difference between private and lieutenant

is that private is belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group while lieutenant is a military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: lieutenant colonel'', ''lieutenant general'', ''lieutenant commander .

As nouns the difference between private and lieutenant

is that private is the lowest rank of the army while lieutenant is (military) the lowest commissioned officer rank or ranks in many military forces.

private

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author=(Jonathan Freedland)
  • , volume=189, issue=1, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Obama's once hip brand is now tainted , passage=Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.}}
  • Not in governmental office or employment.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=(Peter Wilby)
  • , volume=189, issue=6, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Finland spreads word on schools , passage=Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16.
  • Not publicly known; not open; secret.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=20 citation , passage=The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.
  • Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded.
  • Intended only for the use of an individual, group, or organization.
  • Not accessible by the public.
  • Not traded by the public.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=70, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Engineers of a different kind , passage=Private -equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.}}
  • Secretive; reserved.
  • (US, of a room in a medical facility) Not shared with another patient.
  • Synonyms

    * (done in the view of others ): secluded * (intended only for one's own use ): personal * (not accessible by the public ):

    Antonyms

    * public

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The lowest rank of the army.
  • A soldier of the rank of private.
  • (in plural privates) A euphemistic term for the genitals.
  • (obsolete) A secret message; a personal unofficial communication.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • (obsolete) Personal interest; particular business.
  • * Ben Jonson
  • Nor must I be unmindful of my private .
  • (obsolete) Privacy; retirement.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Go off; I discard you; let me enjoy my private .
  • (obsolete) One not invested with a public office.
  • * Shakespeare
  • What have kings, that privates have not too?
  • A private lesson.
  • If you want to learn ballet, consider taking privates .

    Synonyms

    * (genitals) bits, private parts

    Derived terms

    * in private * privacy * private language * private parts * private property * private stock * public-private partnership

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----

    lieutenant

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (all obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (military) The lowest commissioned officer rank or ranks in many military forces.
  • # (military, US) In the US Army, Air Force and Marines, second lieutenant is the rank below first lieutenant, which is below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as Lieutenant or as the complete forms of the ranks.
  • # (military, US, navy) A naval officer whose rank is above that of ensign in the United States Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant.
  • # (military, US) A commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration whose rank is above that of ensign and below lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant.
  • # (military, British) A naval officer in the Royal Navy who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander.
  • # (military, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) A naval officer who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander.
  • A person who executes the plans and directives of another.
  • Synonyms

    * (military) , lieut , Lieut (abbreviation)

    Usage notes

    When used as a title, it is always capitalized. * Example: Lieutenant Anne Ward. The rank of lieutenant corresponds to pay grade O-3 in the US Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.

    Derived terms

    * first lieutenant * second lieutenant * third lieutenant * fourth lieutenant * fifth lieutenant * junior lieutenant * senior lieutenant * lieutenant commander * lieutenant captain * lieutenant colonel * lieutenant general * lieutenant admiral * lieutenant marshal * lieutenant senior grade * lieutenant junior grade * bevret lieutenant * captain lieutenant * desk lieutenant * flag lieutenant * shift lieutenant * staff lieutenant * sublieutenant

    See also

    * subaltern

    Adjective

    (-)
  • A military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: lieutenant colonel'', ''lieutenant general'', ''lieutenant commander .