personally

American  

[pur-suh-nl-ee] / ˈpɜr sə nl i /

adverb

1. through direct contact; in person; directly.

   I will thank him personally.

2. as if intended for or directed at one's own person.

   to take someone's comments personally.

3. as regards oneself.

   Personally, I don't care to go.

4. as an individual.

   to like someone personally, but not as an employer.

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personally British  

/ ˈpɜːsənəlɪ /

adverb

1. without the help or intervention of others

   I'll attend to it personally

2. (sentence modifier) in one's own opinion or as regards oneself

   personally, I hate onions

3. as if referring to oneself

   to take the insults personally

4. as a person

   we like him personally, but professionally he's incompetent

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Etymology

Origin of personally

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; personal + -ly

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Explanation

When you do something personally, you do it yourself. If you promise you'll personally sell Girl Scout cookies to your neighbors, you can't just put flyers in their mailboxes or make your brother knock on their doors. Doing things personally means doing them in person, often not involving anyone else. If the grand prize of a contest involves your favorite movie star personally driving you around Hollywood in a Rolls Royce, it means she'll be the one behind the wheel. Another way to use this word is to mean "privately," as when someone's work life is great but they're really struggling personally. You can also use personally to refer to yourself: "Personally, I prefer vanilla ice cream."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

personally

I don’t believe you should take this personally, as difficult as that may be.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

During those early days, my management of myself personally was really poor.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Talarico, whom she had met personally at a fundraising event, had proven himself a particularly strong ally, she said.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

Daniels felt the rules were capricious, and perhaps personally tailored to obstruct her: the prohibition on props, the three-minute time limit, the penalty of “trespass” for those in violation.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

Second, they all knew one another personally, meaning that they broke bread together, sat together at countless meetings, corresponded with one another about private as well as public matters.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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Related Words

• directly
• individually
• privately

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