impersonality
Americannoun
-
absence of human character or of the traits associated with the human character.
He feared the impersonality of a mechanized world.
-
absence or reduction of concern for individual needs or desires.
the impersonality of a very large institution.
-
lack of emotional involvement.
His work reflected a certain impersonality.
-
lack of a personal agent or of a known personal agent.
the impersonality of folk art.
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the quality of not being concerned with particular persons.
the impersonality and universality of his interests.
-
something that is impersonal.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impersonality
First recorded in 1760–70; impersonal + -ity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He became known, if for anything, for his monotone impersonality.
From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2021
The effect is to emphasize the locations’ impersonality while also conveying a sense of intimacy.
From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2021
The dark impersonality of these elements provides dramatic contrast for the fleshy, breathing vivacity of the subject’s carefully modeled head.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2019
It’s hard not to take things personally, even if the process traffics in a magical impersonality.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2018
Innumeracy and the Tendency to Personalize One important such factor is the impersonality of mathematics.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
