impersonality

American  

[im-pur-suh-nal-i-tee] / ɪmˌpɜr səˈnæl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

impersonalities

1. absence of human character or of the traits associated with the human character.

   He feared the impersonality of a mechanized world.

2. absence or reduction of concern for individual needs or desires.

   the impersonality of a very large institution.

3. lack of emotional involvement.

   His work reflected a certain impersonality.

4. lack of a personal agent or of a known personal agent.

   the impersonality of folk art.

5. the quality of not being concerned with particular persons.

   the impersonality and universality of his interests.

6. something that is impersonal.

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Etymology

Origin of impersonality

First recorded in 1760–70; impersonal + -ity

Example Sentences

The bird’s-eye vantage point lends the scene a chilling impersonality.

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2020

Peck’s ballets do feel classical, in the sense that they have a certain formality and impersonality about them; they’re not gushy or overly emotive.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 29, 2019

It was only a matter of time before the humans swarmed upon it and began projecting our own fears of unpopularity and impersonality.

From Slate • Jul. 20, 2018

Their stories, filtered through Cusk’s coolly detached, narcotically gorgeous writing, attain a kind of exalted impersonality.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 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