personal

[ pur-suh-nl ]

/ ˈpɜr sə nl /

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See synonyms for: personal / personals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or coming as from a particular person; individual; private: a personal opinion.

relating to, directed to, or intended for a particular person: a personal favor; one's personal life; a letter marked “Personal.”

intended for use by one person: a personal car.

referring or directed to a particular person in a disparaging or offensive sense or manner, usually involving character, behavior, appearance, etc.: personal remarks.

making personal remarks or attacks: to become personal in a dispute.

done, carried out, held, etc., in person: a personal interview.

pertaining to or characteristic of a person or self-conscious being: That is my personal belief.

of the nature of an individual rational being.

pertaining to the body, clothing, or appearance: personal cleanliness.

provided for one's discretionary use: Employees are allowed 15 vacation days and two personal days.

Grammar.

noting person: In Latin portō “I carry,” -ō is a personal ending.
of, relating to, or characteristic of the personal pronoun, as English I, we, you, he, she, it, and they.

Law. of or relating to personal property: personal interests.

noun

a short news paragraph in a newspaper concerning a particular person, as one who is socially prominent, or a group of particular persons who are socially prominent.
a brief, private notice in a newspaper or magazine, often addressed to a particular person, and typically bearing an abbreviated salutation and signature to preserve its confidentiality, usually printed in a special part of the classified advertising section.
Also called personal ad . a similar notice, as in a newspaper or on a website, placed by a person seeking companionship, a spouse, etc.
Usually personals. a column, page, or section, as of a newspaper, magazine, or website, featuring such notices or items.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of personal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word persōnālis.See person, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM personal

per·son·al·ness, nounhy·per·per·son·al, adjectivehy·per·per·son·al·ly, adverbmul·ti·per·son·al, adjective

non·per·son·al, adjectivenon·per·son·al·ly, adverbqua·si-per·son·al, adjectivequa·si-per·son·al·ly, adverbsu·per·per·son·al, adjectivesu·per·per·son·al·ly, adverbun·per·son·al, adjectiveun·per·son·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH personal

personal , personnel

Words nearby personal

persona, personable, Personae, personage, persona grata, personal, personal care, personal column, personal computer, personal day, personal digital assistant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use personal in a sentence

I explained in personal detail the demise I was experiencing.
Trina Braxton To David Adefeso: ‘When You Attack One, You Attack Us All’|Hope Wright|September 17, 2020|Essence.com
The data above are consistent with previous surveys about location and personal data sharing among smartphone owners.
Apple IDFA consent: Roughly 60% of consumers open to allowing tracking|Greg Sterling|September 11, 2020|Search Engine Land
Seeing someone advocate for a brand or products that they’re using is an incredibly personal form of marketing.
Unpacking the TikTok algorithm: Three reasons why it’s the most addictive social network|Brian Freeman|September 11, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Find the one thing that Israel doesn’t have an answer to, doesn’t know how to manage and can’t get rid of, and make it your own personal vanity project.
Erdogan Pitches Himself as Muslim World’s New Leader|Charu Kasturi|September 10, 2020|Ozy

Several claim that they were only cited because an officer took personal offense to something they’d said — usually about police and sometimes just quietly to themselves.
Those Ticketed for Seditious Language Say Their Only Crime Was Talking Back|Kate Nucci|September 9, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The email appears to have been a relatively common attempt to gain personal information from a wide range of unwitting victims.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And, as Gow adds wryly from his own personal experience, “To a huge extent they achieved that aim very well.”
‘Nazi Cows’ Tried to Kill British Farmer|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Michael Steinbrick, a personal trainer with New York Sports Clubs, says he can always spot a newbie.
How to Survive the New Year ‘Gympocalypse’|Tim Teeman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Marrying another Jew was not just a personal simcha (joy), but one for the community.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was hard not to take it as a sign, a personal comment on my own Jewish dating failings.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The feeling for the tiny things probably has in it the warmth of a young personal sympathy.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Make a personal appeal to your men and Godley's to make a supreme effort to hold their ground.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The same two impulses are said to lie at the root of the elaborate art of personal adornment developed by savages.
Children's Ways|James Sully
One of the lower and mixed forms of artistic activity, in the case of the child and of the race alike, is personal adornment.
Children's Ways|James Sully
He respected her courage and obvious power to rise above the personal attitude of her sex.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for personal

personal

/ (ˈpɜːsənəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the private aspects of a person's lifepersonal letters; a personal question

(prenominal) of or relating to a person's body, its care, or its appearancepersonal hygiene; great personal beauty

belonging to or intended for a particular person and no-one elseas a personal favour; for your personal use

(prenominal) undertaken by an individual himselfa personal appearance by a celebrity

referring to, concerning, or involving a person's individual personality, intimate affairs, etc, esp in an offensive waypersonal remarks; don't be so personal

having the attributes of an individual conscious beinga personal God

of or arising from the personalitypersonal magnetism

of, relating to, or denoting grammatical person

law of or relating to movable property, such as moneyCompare real 1 (def. 8)

noun

law an item of movable property

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

personal

Origin of personal

OTHER WORDS FROM personal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH personal

Words nearby personal

Words related to personal

How to use personal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for personal