impersonal
Americanadjective
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not personal; without reference or connection to a particular person.
an impersonal remark.
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having no personality; devoid of human character or traits.
an impersonal deity.
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lacking human emotion or warmth.
an impersonal manner.
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Grammar.
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(of a verb) having only third person singular forms and rarely if ever accompanied by an expressed subject, as Latin pluit “it is raining,” or regularly accompanied by an empty subject word, as English to rain in It is raining.
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(of a pronoun or pronominal reference) indefinite, as French on “one.”
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noun
adjective
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without reference to any individual person; objective
an impersonal assessment
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devoid of human warmth or sympathy; cold
an impersonal manner
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not having human characteristics
an impersonal God
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grammar (of a verb) having no logical subject. Usually in English the pronoun it is used in such cases as a grammatical subject, as for example in It is raining
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grammar (of a pronoun) not denoting a person
Other Word Forms
- impersonality noun
- impersonally adverb
- superimpersonal adjective
- superimpersonally adverb
Etymology
Origin of impersonal
From the Late Latin word impersōnālis, dating back to 1510–20. See im- 2, personal
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.
But when asked about Goff, McVay does not miss an opportunity to remorsefully reference the clunky, impersonal way he handled the quarterback’s exit from Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times
"My care has been inadequate, not joined up and impersonal," she said.
From BBC
It’s totally impersonal a lot of the time.
From Los Angeles Times
However, many are still protected via regulatory loopholes, such as exemptions for those providing only impersonal advice not tailored to any particular client or issuing such advice for free.
From Los Angeles Times
It scans your body to deliver a precise, if impersonal, spa service.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
