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

The Korean market is dominated by electronics exporters, and in particular makers of memory chips that go into AI data centers as well as personal computers and smartphones.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’m great, man. I’m so grateful,” he said when asked how he was holding up in the wake of the “personal changes” in his life.

From MarketWatch

Rushing says he does not have personal goals he hopes to reach.

From Los Angeles Times

For those who lived through it, the looming anniversary is an important moment to ensure the lessons of Aberfan are not forgotten, but it's also a deeply personal time for those who were there.

From BBC

But the sequence of events—and his personal investment—raised red flags.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• intimate
• particular
• secret
• special