personal equation

American  

noun

1. the tendency to personal bias that accounts for variation in interpretation or approach and for which allowance must be made.

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personal equation British  

noun

1. the variation or error in observation or judgment caused by individual characteristics

2. the allowance made for such variation

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Etymology

Origin of personal equation

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

The young man danced-walked up to another Black person several feet away from me and shared his personal revelation again.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2025

Later though, the comedy dissipates as character after character experiences some personal revelation — complete with a maudlin monologue.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2023

But what I wasn’t able to do was inspiration, personal revelation.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2022

In telling her own story and the country’s, Wang has achieved a work of investigation, personal revelation, historical reckoning, and overarching political morality.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 9, 2019

Men who lead a solitary, self-contained life, like my brother, become introspective and ultra-sensitive, and face any intimate personal revelation with the utmost reluctance.

From The Moon Rock by Rees, Arthur J. (Arthur John)