personal

American  

[pur-suh-nl] / ˈpɜr sə nl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or coming as from a particular person; individual; private.

   a personal opinion.

2. relating to, directed to, or intended for a particular person.

   a personal favor; one's personal life; a letter marked “Personal.”

3. intended for use by one person.

   a personal car.

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

   personal remarks.

5. making personal remarks or attacks.

   to become personal in a dispute.

6. done, carried out, held, etc., in person.

   a personal interview.

7. pertaining to or characteristic of a person or self-conscious being.

   That is my personal belief.

8. of the nature of an individual rational being.

9. pertaining to the body, clothing, or appearance.

   personal cleanliness.

10. provided for one's discretionary use.

    Employees are allowed 15 vacation days and two personal days.

11. Grammar.

    1. noting person.

       In Latin portō “I carry,” -ō is a personal ending.

    2. of, relating to, or characteristic of the personal pronoun, as English I, we, you, he, she, it, and they .

12. Law. of or relating to personal property.

    personal interests.

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noun

1. 1. 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.

   2. 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.

   3. Also called personal ad.  a similar notice, as in a newspaper or on a website, placed by a person seeking companionship, a spouse, etc.

   4. Usually personals. a column, page, or section, as of a newspaper, magazine, or website, featuring such notices or items.

personal British  

/ ˈpɜːsənəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the private aspects of a person's life

   personal letters

   a personal question

2. (prenominal) of or relating to a person's body, its care, or its appearance

   personal hygiene

   great personal beauty

3. belonging to or intended for a particular person and no-one else

   as a personal favour

   for your personal use

4. (prenominal) undertaken by an individual himself

   a personal appearance by a celebrity

5. referring to, concerning, or involving a person's individual personality, intimate affairs, etc, esp in an offensive way

   personal remarks

   don't be so personal

6. having the attributes of an individual conscious being

   a personal God

7. of or arising from the personality

   personal magnetism

8. of, relating to, or denoting grammatical person

9. law of or relating to movable property, such as money Compare real 1

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noun

1. law an item of movable property

Other Word Forms

• hyperpersonal adjective
• hyperpersonally adverb
• multipersonal adjective
• nonpersonal adjective
• nonpersonally adverb
• personalness noun
• quasi-personal adjective
• quasi-personally adverb
• superpersonal adjective
• superpersonally adverb
• unpersonal adjective
• unpersonally adverb

Etymology

Origin of personal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word persōnālis. See person, -al ¹

Example Sentences

And do so without compromising the personal information of about 9 million veterans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Formerly a personal trainer, bodybuilder, and weightlifter who loved hockey and running, her life completely changed.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

She was his personal legal hit woman, and she took on the assignment with energy and enthusiasm.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

The company, which debuted a new AI model Wednesday, is building a personal “superintelligence” to help people achieve their goals, create and be more productive.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

He quickly went through looking for more personal data, a record of himself as a baby, maybe even his name.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• intimate
• particular
• secret
• special